


Something good

by killians-dashingrescue (caroc25)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: CS AU, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-01-18 15:29:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1433548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caroc25/pseuds/killians-dashingrescue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma and David are brother and sister and they live together. They have been having money problems and they decide to find a roommate. Killian is tired of living on his friends couch since he left his girlfriend, and he is looking for a room to rent. * Captain Swan story, I’m not good at writing summaries, just give it a try.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

   The smell of the fresh spring air and the warm gust of wind brushing my exhausted body was everything I needed after a 9-hour shift at Granny’s. I had a long consuming day, a class in the morning followed by a team assignment, and than work at the restaurant. Usually Monday nights are slow, so I wasn’t prepared at all for the unexpected evening rush that occurred and to top it off, the customers were rude and didn’t tip well. And to think that this was only the beginning of the week was a depressing thought.

   I normally walk home, but I couldn’t support my weight anymore since I ran all through the evening to attend the customers, my legs were just too sore for me to walk. I opted for the bus, I would prefer a cab because I would get home faster but being in a tight budget makes cabs a luxury that I just can’t afford. As I arrived at the bus stop, the bus arrived and I was relieved that there were some free seats so I could rest my legs. The moment I sat down, I felt my eyelids go heavy and I forced myself to stay awake, missing my stop is the last thing I need today. When I arrived at my stop, I got up despite the protest of my muscles. I went into my building and I escalated the stairs to get to the third floor where was my apartment. It was the longest climb I ever had, I had to grab the ramp to keep myself from collapsing.

   Finally arriving in front my apartment door, I took my keys from my purse to unlock it. Entering the hallway I leaned myself on one arm, freeing my feet from the pressure of my shoes and I went to the living room with a zombie kind off walk. I tumbled on the couch next to David, who didn’t even lift his head the moment I sat down. I turned my head to look at him; he had his MacBook Pro on his lap, staring at the screen with a frown and biting his lower lip. I knew my brother well enough to know that something was bothering him.

“Hey, what’s wrong.” I asked.

“I’m looking at all of my bills, and I don’t know how I’m going to make rent.” He turned his head to look at me with pleading look. “Do you think you can help me out for next month rent?”

“You know I would love to, but I’m broke too, and I only have enough money for my part and I barely have enough to afford food this week.” I replied.

David sighed heavily as he leaned his head backwards, making a light thud when it reached the wall behind the couch.

“You could ask mom to lend you some money.” I proposed. His head automatically rose and turned his gaze on me.

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to ask mom for some money. I’m an adult I should be able to rely on myself on these type of things.” David answered as he closed his laptop and tossed it aside.

“Fine, but what are you going to do? You can’t get another job, you’re already swamped with school and the animal shelter.”

“I know, I don’t know what to do.” He responded in a despondent tone.

   We sat on the couch in silence, both trying to figure out a solution to his financial problems. Suddenly David straightened and shifted on his seat turning his upper body towards me, he had this look on his face as if he had the idea of a lifetime.

“We could get roommate!” He exclaimed.

“Why would we need a roommate?”

“If we get a roommate, we split the rent, it will cost us less. You can have a less tight budget, and I could afford the rent without asking mom for money.” He explained enthusiastically.

   I looked at him thoughtfully, assessing his arguments. “Let’s say we do have a roommate, where would that person sleep? I mean we don’t have a spare room, you don’t expect them to sleep on the couch, nobody is going to agree to that.”

“Well, we have an office that neither of us use. We could put some of the furniture in my room, some in yours and in here.” He said as he gestured his arms towards the room we used as an office. I wasn’t completely convinced by his idea, but it would appease some of our financial strain we had lately.

“Okay if we do this, I don’t want just anybody living here with us, I don’t want a creep living with us.” I looked David with a stern look. “Got it?”

“Of course, don’t worry Emma. I’m going to write the ad now.” He brought back his computer on his lap, and started writing.

“Good, I trust you with this. I’m off to bed, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow.” I got up from the couch and I almost fell back, I had completely forgotten that my legs were weary from my day. I managed to get up and I walked towards my room. I rid myself from my work clothes and didn’t even bother to take a shower and went straight to bed.

 

   David was in charge of finding the perfect roommate who would agree to live with us. He had a couple of people come over during the week for them to see the apartment and the room and interviewing them. I was glad that David was thorough in finding the perfect roommate. I had some criteria’s that made the search a little difficult, I didn’t want a smoker, someone who doesn’t clean up after themselves, someone who isn’t considerate to the people living with them, and the list went on and on. I knew I was being difficult but I really didn’t want to feel uncomfortable in my own apartment.

   The week passed and he still hadn’t found someone to rent the room. David was getting desperate because we needed to pay the rent soon, and he still hadn’t managed to have the money for it. I tried to help the best I could but I was swamped with work and my midterms.

   Today like any other day of the week, I had a class and then went to the restaurant for a 9 hours shift. I was on my break from work when I saw that David had called me three times today, and that he left me a text message.

_I found us a roommate. He is moving in tomorrow._

**Great, when tomorrow? I am not going to be home for most of the day.**

_Around noon, I will be there don’t worry._

**Good, see you tonight.**

   Putting my phone aside, I felt relieved that we finally found a roommate; David and I agreed that we needed to be a little less strict with our criteria’s if we wanted to find someone eventually. I really hoped that this person isn’t going to be a burden and an asshole.

* * *

 

   I really needed to find somewhere else to live. I’ve been staying at Graham’s for a week now, and it isn’t because I don’t like the company of my mate but I’m tired of sleeping on a couch. I was also paying a storage room so I could have my furniture back the moment I find somewhere to live and it is eating my money away.

   Luck hasn’t been on my side for a while now, and things really started sinking when I found out about Milah’s dirty secret. I decided to move out from her apartment and I was determined not to see her ever again.

   I checked on the address one last time to be sure that I was indeed at the right place. I really wasn’t expecting much about this place, I mean living in an apartment with a brother and a sister can be awkward. I already talked with the brother, David I think, and he seemed nice but had a lot of questions to ask though. I was desperate for a place to stay, the rent is low and it’s only temporary, the time that I gather some money so I can get my own place.

   I climbed the stairs, and reached the third floor. I wandered down the hall to find the door with the numbers I was seeking. There it is, apartment 311. I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. I finally heard a muffled sound of footsteps in the apartment, and got slightly louder when I heard the door unlock and open. There was a tall blond man, he was built and had this honest and proud air to him.

“You must be Killian.” said the fair-haired man.

“Indeed, and you must be David.” I replied as I offered my hand for a handshake and he grasp it firmly. He stood on the side of the door, and with one arm he gestured the apartment’s hallway.

“Nice to meet you, please come in.” he simply said. I entered the apartment and started to look around. There was this long hallway with a door on the left, I peeked inside it and there was a large furnished room. “That’s my bedroom. Let me show you the room that’s for rent.” He walked past me and I followed him.

   At the end of the hallway there was what seems to be the living room, there was a grey couch that was big enough for three persons to sit, a coffee table at the center and a flat screen TV. There was a small hallway on the left with a closet and two doors. David gestured to one of the doors. “ This is the bathroom…” and than he moved to the other door, “ and this is the room for rent.”

   It was a pretty decent room, with a large window and it was big enough for all of my things, which wasn’t much.

“So what do you think?” asked the tenant, leaning on the doorway and arms crossed.

“It’s a nice room, do you mind if I look at the rest of the flat?”

“Sure no problem.” David said as he pushed himself from the door to let me walk past him. On the other side of the living room there was the kitchen with a dining table in the middle. There was door leading to the balcony and another that was closed.

“Is this your sister’s room?” I asked pointing at the closed door.

“Yes, she always keeps her door closed, she really likes to have her own personal space, where no one can come and bother her. And she doesn’t like people sneaking and her room, not even me. Trust me I tried and paid the consequences.” He said with a light chuckle.

“She seems like a tough lass.”

“Oh you have no idea.”

I looked around one last time, finally making my decision.

“Well, I think it’s a pretty decent deal you got here. When can I move in?” I asked.

His eyes widen and a huge grin appeared on his face, he really seemed happy with my question. “Whenever you want.”

“What about tomorrow? Around noon?”

“Perfect, I’ll be here.” He said, clearly content from my decision. We shook hands one last time and I went back at Graham’s to gather my things so I would be ready for tomorrow morning.

   I woke up early so I could go to the storage room to get my things. I asked Graham last night if I could borrow his truck, and he offered to help me move. It took about an hour to pack all of my stuff, a couple of boxes with books, DVD’s, CD’s, bags with clothes, a dresser, a night table, a mattress and a couple of other things. We arrived at my new place a little after noon. I went to knock on the door and waited for my new roommate to answer. When he did, he greeted us with a smile and offered us to help unload the truck. When we finished, Graham needed to leave since he had to work in the evening. Too tired to unpack my things I sat down on the couch. David came to join me and offered me a beer before sitting next to me.

“Welcome to your new home.” Said David has he tilted his bottle towards mine, so we could cheer.

“Cheers mate.” I took a big gulp of beer; the cold drink had this appeasing and cooling feeling. It wasn’t a particularly hot day since it was the beginning of spring, but moving furniture and boxes up and down three flights of stairs did make you sweat a lot.

“Thanks for letting me rent the room, I couldn’t wait to have a space to call mine.”

“My pleasure, but I feel that I should thank you, because I was growing desperate to find someone and everyone that came to visit were either weird or didn’t seem that interested.” He said before finishing his beer.

“Well, it seems we are both happy with this situation. What about your sister? What does she think of this? You two having a roommate.” I inquired.

“She isn’t fond of it, but we have been living with a financial strain for some time now, me more than her, and we really don’t want to move. We like it here, so she agreed that if we wanted to stay here and relieve ourselves from some of the pressure, the option of a roommate wasn’t that bad.” He explained. He got up with his empty bottle and turned around to face me. “Do you want to order pizza?”

“Sure, why not.” I answered him as I got up to follow him to kitchen to grab myself another beer.

   We spent the next two hours talking about sports, music and movies as we were drinking and eating a pepperoni and cheese pizza. I really liked him; he was sincere and seemed like a really genuine person.

   Around six in the evening I decided to retreat myself to my quarters and start unpacking some boxes. I placed my mattress on the floor, on the right corner of the room, and placed my night table with a lamp next to it. I hanged some of my clothes in the closet and the rest in my dresser. I started to make a list of things that I would need to buy: a bed, curtains, a library, a desk, a chair and some shelves. I finished unpacking late at night; David came to give me my key before calling it a night.

I was pretty exhausted, and I decided to go take a shower to rid myself from today’s work. I went into the bathroom and tried to lock the door, but I couldn’t. It must one of those doors in which you need to have that special move to get it to lock. Too tired to worry about it, I undressed myself, turned on the water and stepped into the shower. I felt the hot water running down and felt my muscles finally relax, washing away this long day. After cleaning myself and turning the water off, I stepped out of the shower, grabbing my towel to dry myself. As I was wrapping my towel around my waist, I heard the handle of the bathroom door rattle, and before I could react I was face to face with a gorgeous blond with green eyes. Her eyes widen at my sight and her mouth open and closed a couple of times clearly in shock, her eyes avoiding me.

“I…I…sorry.” She stuttered before turning her heels, closing the door behind her.

Well this is perfect, I thought; perfect way to meet your new roommate. I went to my room, exchanged my towel with a pair of grey sweatpants and covered my torso with a white shirt. I left my room hoping to see her to apologize and introduce myself properly. I went to the living room, but she wasn’t there. I then heard the water running in the kitchen and I followed the noise. I entered the kitchen and I saw her leaning against the kitchen counter with a glass of water in one hand. I cleared my throat to alert her of my presence; she turned her head around and avoided landing her eyes directly at me. I couldn’t stop my hand from scratching the back of my ear, feeling slightly awkward with her cold demeanour.

“Um… sorry about that. I couldn’t figure out how to lock the door.” I explained trying to appease the absurdity of our meeting.

“You lift the doorknob and than give a little push.” She answered in flat tone.

“I’ll try and remember that. I’m Killian by the way, your new roommate.” I propelled my hand towards her, waiting for her to take it for a handshake. But she didn’t, she looked at my hand than levelled her stare to mine.

“Emma.” She simply said.

“Nice to meet you Emma.” I couldn’t help myself but smirk. She is indeed a stubborn lass.

“Yeah, well, goodnight.” And she turned around and went to her room. I walked back to my room with a smile. I lay back on my mattress, placing my arms behind my head; I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that this was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

I opened my eyes and looked at the time and I started to panic, thinking I was late for my class. After a couple of seconds I realized that it was Saturday and that it was my day off from work too. Feeling relieved, I lay my head back on my pillow trying to get myself to sleep. It was no use; the shot of adrenaline really woke me up. Still I stayed in my bed enjoying the fact that I could loaf in it, and let my body finally relax from my insane lifestyle, I felt like lately I was spending half of my time at Granny's working and the other half at school. I barely had time to see my friends and I can't even remember the last time that I had a moment for myself or even enjoyed a lazy morning. So last night, when Granny came to see me 3 hours after my shift started, and ask me if I wanted to go home since it was a slow night and that we were overstaffed, I gladly accepted.

It was still early, and I didn't want to go home right away so I decided to go join my friends who went to grab a drink at a karaoke bar after class to celebrate the upcoming weekend. I thought it would be nice to see them outside of an academic purpose. I was happy that I finally got time to spend with them, and I had a blast. Having a couple of drinks, trying not to laugh when some people with a particular lack of talent were singing and talking up with my friends. I didn't stay late since I didn't have a lot of money to spend and I really didn't want to walk back home late at night. My friends insisted that I stayed, they even offered to pay a cab for me but I refused. I left around 11 p.m. and went to take the last bus that brought me near my apartment complex.

When I arrived home, I had completely forgotten that the guy that David found to be our roommate was moving in earlier. So when I headed to the bathroom I wasn't expecting to see him standing there as he finished wrapping his towel around his waist. I was so shocked with the sight in front of me that I just stood there trying to find a way to leave but couldn't. For a moment I tried to not look at him but felt hypnotize by his appearance: tall, his dark brown hair all wet from his shower, a scruff with hints of ginger and his toned torso covered with chest hair and I couldn't help my eyes from following the path from his chest hair that trailed south where his towel was hanging low on his hips. I tried to find the words to excuse myself, and stuttered the words leaving my spot completely flushed.

After I closed the door, I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, maybe that would help me get my bearings back. A couple of minutes later, I heard the floor creak and he appeared in the kitchen. He wore what I assume was his pyjamas, and he looked damned good in them, and he seemed as uncomfortable as I was. I tried to look unaffected by our earlier encounter; I didn't want him to see that his state of almost nakedness made me feel uncomfortable. He had a lilted voice, rough and sweet at the same time and to top it off he had the most gorgeous cerulean eyes. He told me that his name was Killian, and I could see he was trying to make it up for our first meeting, and I couldn't help myself but to reply briefly and retreat to my room.

Laying down on my bed, I couldn't stop thinking about him and hoping it wasn't going to be awkward, it's exactly what I didn't want, things being gawky with a stranger living in my apartment. I turned my head around to check the time on my alarm clock and saw that it was already 10 a.m. Even if I didn't have to work today I still had a lot of things to do today, I had some studying, cleaning and some laundry to do. I decided to finally leave my bed and eat something. I opened my door and entered the kitchen; David was sitting at the dining table with Killian. As I entered both of them turned their heads towards me, I felt slightly exposed.

"Good morning sleepy head." Said David sounding particularly chirpy.

"Good morning" I mumbled. I walked towards the coffee machine craving for my daily fix of caffeine.

"Have you met Killian?" asked my brother. Thinking about our encounter I felt myself blush slightly and saw Killian shift on his seat, clearly as uncomfortable as I was.

He cleared his throat and answered my brother before I could. "Yes we have."

"Great! Killian already made some coffee, we left some for you." stated David.

I looked briefly at Killian, and he had a small smile. I glanced back at the coffee pot and started to pour myself a cup, I added some milk and a spoonful of sugar. As I waited for my cup to cool down a little, I went to grab two slices of bread and inserted them in the toaster.

"So what are you doing today?" inquired my brother.

"I've got an assignment that is due on Monday so I'll try and finish it, I've got some laundry to do and I need to clean my room, it's kind of big mess right now." I replied. "Are you working today?"

"Yes I am." Answered David with big smile.

"So that's why you are so cheerful this morning! Are you working with Mary Margaret?" I asked him in a teasing tone. My slices of bread jumped from the toaster, and they were burnt just the way I liked them. I dropped them on a plate and spread some blueberry jam on them. After I depositing the knife in the sink, I grabbed my cup of coffee and my plate and went to sit next to my brother.

"Yes I am." Responded David as he started to blush a little.

"Who's Mary Margaret?" questioned Killian as he was trying to follow our conversation.

"It's this girl I work with at the animal shelter."

"You mean the girl you have this huge crush on." I voiced as I rectified my brother's answer.

"I…I…don't have this huge crush on her!"

"Oh sorry, you're right. I meant to say the girl that you are in love with." I said in a teasing tone.

My brother shook his head while sighing. Every time he was this happy before going to work I knew that he was going to see Mary Margaret and I couldn't stop myself but tease him. I've seen her a couple of times when I went to see David over there, and she is real sweetheart and my brother was completely infatuated by her. And the fact that he was so bashful every time I mentioned her made me want to tease him more. Despite my jest, I really hoped that he would gather the courage to ask her out, because she was clearly as smitten with him as he was with her.

"Anyway…" finally said David as he turned his attention to Killian who had intently watched our discussion. "So what are you doing today Killian?"

"I'm going to go buy some furniture with my mate Graham. He is coming in a bit to pick me up so I can take advantage of his truck once again." Our new roommate answered.

That was perfect, I'm going to have the apartment all to myself so I could get all of my things done, I thought and I started to plan out my day in my head. The guys went back to their previous discussion I assumed, because they were now talking about sports. Typical boys. At least David seemed to get along with him. I finished my breakfast and got up to get dressed. I decided to wear a pair of skinny jeans and a black top. I left my room as David was leaving for work. I walked with him to the living room, said goodbye and I went for the bathroom to fix my hair and brush my teeth. As I was finishing brushing my teeth, Killian barge in the bathroom without lifting his eyes, when he finally did, his eyes widen for a second before a smirk crept on his face.

"We got to stop meeting up like this lass." He said with his lilted accent.

"Yeah, we do. I think we both should knock before even if the door is slightly open, just to be safe." I answered; I couldn't stop my lips from curving upwards.

"Indeed." He took a couple steps and he was standing next to me, grabbing his toothbrush with one hand and grabbing the toothpaste in the other. As he spread the white paste, he opened his mouth. "Even if I wouldn't mind barging in here if you were in the same state as I was last night." He added as he his eyes wandered up and down my body and he had the nerve to wink at me. I looked at him rolling my eyes, dropped my toothbrush in the cup on the sink and left his side.

I walked out of the washroom and I heard the door knock, I went to open the door and there was standing a tall man with brown hair, brown eyes and light stubble.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm Killian's friend. His he here?" He asked, just when I was about to answer him my new roommate appeared beside me.

"Hey mate! Just in time." Killian exclaimed as he was putting on his leather jacket. "By the way, Graham this Emma, Emma this is my mate Graham."

His friend smiled at me, he had this really kind and sweet smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah you too." I simply answered.

"Ready?" Inquired Killian.

"Yes, let's go. I hope seeing you soon Emma." Graham told me keeping his gaze on me, and finally turning away, Killian following him.

"See you later, Emma." Said my roommate before closing the door.

Finally, was all I could think. I went to grab my bag filled with my books and notebook that was in my room and decided to do my work on the dining table. I had trouble concentrating; I couldn't stop thinking about Killian. I mean it's stupid that I did, I barely know him and the little I know about him, he already annoys me. Okay so he was attractive but his comment earlier really bugged me. Am I really going to have to put out with those types of comments and innuendos? This is going to be hell.

* * *

As we were walking towards Grahams truck, we talked a little. He asked me how I was settling in with my roommates. I told him that David and I really got along well, and that he really tried to make me feel welcomed. We arrived at his truck and I waited for him to unlock the door. When he did I went to sit in the passenger's seat.

"What about her?" asked Graham while he started the engine.

"Emma? Well I haven't gotten the time to really talk to her, but she seems like a stubborn lass." I replied.

"Well, she is gorgeous tough." He stated.

"That she is." I acquiesce. I couldn't help but reminding myself how beautiful she was when she looked at me with her soft smile earlier. I really hoped that we could get along, since we are sharing an apartment. If so, I should really stop right now with comments filled with innuendo, but seeing how she reacted it would be hard. Seeing her riled up was kind of entertaining. At least, Emma was a good distraction from _her_.


	3. Chapter 3

It has been three weeks now that I've been staying with David and Emma. I've been spending a good amount of time with David and we have been hanging together on evenings having a couple of beers after I've come back from work, or when he comes back exhausted from school. I've gotten to know him pretty well; he told me that he wanted to become a detective so he's studying in law enforcement. I could really see him exercise that profession‒ he was righteous, smart, and he really cared about others, which should make him a good detective. He also worked at the animal shelter with this Mary Margaret, and like his sister mentioned, he really did have it bad for her. I usually gave him pep talks before he went to work; he really needed to gain the courage to ask her out.

As for Emma, well, I didn't see her often; she was always busy studying in her room, or at the library. She also worked a lot at this restaurant, almost every day of the week. I seriously wondered how she was able to do all of this without collapsing. I didn't know a lot about her, and David didn't tell me much either. He only told me that she wasn't always like this, always focused on work and fending off others, and that she was kind of a loner. She also avoided me like the plague. Every time we were in the same room she had a tendency to flee in her room, or she would talk to her brother whilst ignoring me. I have a feeling that she didn't really like my comment the last time we bumped into each other in the washroom. I tried to make amends with her by doing some nice gestures. I always made some extra coffee in the morning so it was ready for her when she got up, but she was having none of it. I barely got a thank you, or even a smile that would acknowledge my gesture. I was becoming quite irritated by her coldness, so I decided 'to hell with it,' if she wanted to be unpleasant, so be it.

Today after work, I went to grab a drink with Graham at our favourite pub. We drank a couple of pints whilst catching up. My mate asked me if things were getting better with Emma and I shook my head while taking a sip from my stout. He, of course, laughed and told me that not every girl swoons at my charms and that now he had the living proof. I cast him a forced smile‒ it bothered me that he thought that I was craving for her attention because I honestly wasn't. I just came out of a toxic relationship and a fling was the last thing on my mind. I simply didn't want to live with a person who was annoyed by my mere presence. After a couple of hours of drinking, I felt the weariness of my day's work, so I decided to part ways with Graham and went back to the apartment.

When I entered the apartment, it was pitch black, except for the small lamp that was lit at the far end of the hallway where the living room was. I could hear the faint sound of the television. I looked at the key holder next to the door, and saw that both sets of keys were there. David's door was closed, so I assumed that he was sleeping, so it must be Emma who is still awake. I took off my shoes, hung my leather jacket, and started to walk towards the living room, bracing myself for her cold shoulder. As I entered the room, I saw Emma lying on the couch. She was on her side with a small pillow tucked under her head, sound asleep. She was in her pink pyjama bottoms and wearing a white top. I could see her chest rising in a steady rhythm; she must have fallen asleep while watching TV. I couldn't blame her with the crazy lifestyle that she had. I could not stop myself from watching her, she looked so peaceful, her features normally so serious were now soft and relaxed. She was so beautiful in that state. Suddenly, I saw her body shiver and automatically she started to curl her body in on herself. Thinking she must be cold, I looked around and found the black and white striped throw that was folded at the other end of the couch. I grabbed it and covered her up, her body instantly accepting it. I looked at her one last time, and went to turn the TV and the lights off before entering my now-furnished room. I disrobed myself and went to bed in my boxer briefs only. I slipped under the covers and felt my eyelids go heavy the instant my head touched my pillow and started to drift off to sleep. For the first time in a month, my thoughts didn't wander off to Milah as I was falling asleep. This time, the last thing I remembered was the sight of Emma's state of peace.

* * *

I heard the water run in the kitchen and the sound of dishes being lightly tossed around; I could also hear voices whispering. I opened my eyes slowly and realised that I had fallen asleep on the couch. I tried pulling myself up and suddenly felt my right arm completely numb and I winced at the unpleasant feeling. Sitting down on the couch, I realised that I had slept with a blanket, which I didn't remember grabbing. It must've been David who covered me, I simply deduced. I got up, folded the throw and dropped it off on the couch, and I went to join the guys in the kitchen.

"Good morning, sis. Sleep well?" asked my brother.

"Yeah, I really did, but my body is paying the price this morning." I said as I was stretching my muscles, the action releasing the tension and strain. "Thanks for the blanket last night, it was kind of chilly." I told David as I was pouring myself my first cup of coffee of the day.

"I didn't, I went to bed before you fell asleep on the couch and I didn't leave my room until this morning. When I woke up you already had it on you." David explained with his mug in mid-air.

"Actually, I did," confessed our roommate as he looked up to me with a small smile. I stood there, stunned. _Why would he do that?_ David's eyes wandered between Killian and me for a second. Seeing that I wasn't really responding to his admission, Killian opened his mouth to clarify his gesture.

"I came back late last night, and I saw you sleeping on the couch with the television and lights on. You seemed to be sleeping well and didn't want to bother you. But, since you seemed to be freezing, I grabbed the blanket to cover you."

I was still stunned with his nice act. It seems that he could do something nice besides giving comments filled with double meaning. I cleared my throat and thanked him with a shy smile.

"Okay…" David finally spoke and I returned to my task, preparing my coffee and making myself some pancakes. "So Emma, this week is our last week of this horrible and painful semester. Do you want to throw a party here next Saturday to celebrate?"

"Sure, why not? It could be fun. Are you inviting _Mary Margaret_?" I asked him in a teasing tone. David's face turned red and couldn't help himself but to smile.

"Yes, I am."

"I am finally getting the chance to meet the lass who's got you acting up like a teenaged boy." Said Killian as he got up, taking his mug for one last sip of coffee.

"Yes, you are. And you two…" started David with a serious look, his finger pointing at us in warning, "…you better behave yourselves and not make fun of me like this in front of her. Got it?"

"Such a drama queen, David! Don't worry, I won't tell her embarrassing stories from when were kids." I answered laughing while I flipped the pancake in the pan.

"Don't worry, mate. On that note, I have to go to work." Killian said as he walked towards the counter next to me to drop his mug into the sink.

"See you, Jones." Replied David as his attention went back to his newspaper.

Killian made a small wave at him and his hand landed on my shoulder after. I turned around to look at him with a surprised expression and before I could say anything to him, he opened his mouth.

"See you later, Emma."

That was all he said before winking and leaving his spot to follow the path to the door. Just when I thought that I could put his previous annoying comment to rest he had to go and wink at me. I couldn't stop the irritated groan that left my mouth. David lifted his eyes from his newspaper, and glanced at me with a questioning look.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"So why did you make that sound you make when you're pissed?" he asked while he crossed his arms in front of his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"It's nothing." I responded as I took the pan to slide the pancake on my plate. I took the maple syrup and a fork and went to sit with my brother. I could still feel him staring at me with a look that said that he didn't believe me.

"Ugh… fine." I said, defeated. "It's Killian. I know that you two have become friends and all, but I can't stop myself from thinking that he's annoying."

"Actually, you think that all men are annoying. Except for your brother, of course."

"That's not true! I don't think all men are annoying! It's just that Killian is Captain Innuendo and it bugs me." I replied, defending my opinion.

"Okay, that might be true. But his comments are completely harmless and you know that. You know, not every guy is like Neal. You should stop labeling all men in the same category after one jerk."

I looked down at my plate, my fork slightly poking my pancake. David was right; I should stop putting every guy I meet in the same basket labelled with the word 'asshole' on it.

"Seriously. He's a good guy, just be nicer to him and leave him off the hook for those small comments, he's just teasing." David pleaded.

"I'll try." I simply replied.

* * *

The week had been awfully long, it was our finals so David and I spent all of our time studying and stressing out. I was so happy that it was now Saturday, and that my dear brother had the marvellous idea of having a party. Our place isn't big, but we had the living room and the kitchen as chilling spots and now that it was hotter outside we had the balcony. I've arranged myself with Granny to work the morning shift on Saturday instead of the evening shift. She, of course, granted my demand since I was her granddaughter's best friend. It was 5 p.m. and I'd finished work an hour ago. I was now sitting on Ruby's bed waiting for her to finish getting herself ready.

"You know, Ruby, it's not necessary to get yourself all dolled up. The usual people will be there." I said as laid on her bed, my legs hanging over the edge.

"I know, but Victor is going to be there and it has been awhile since we saw each other because of our finals and I want to make myself pretty for him." replied Ruby while she was applying her usual red lipstick.

"You know he doesn't care if you are all dressed up, you could wear a potato sack and he would still love you."

"I know, but I like making myself pretty for him. You know, you should consider putting on a little make-up and wearing something that would complement your body. Seriously, jeans and a shirt?" She looked at me with a look that was so _Ruby_.

"Yes, seriously. And I'm sticking to it."

"Oh, come on! Let me lend you something!" She pleaded. "There are gonna be guys there and you could totally hook up with one of them."

"Absolutely not. I don't need to hook up with anybody, and I like the way I look. Besides, all the guys that are going to be there know me, so there's no need." I answered as I sat up on the bed, a little outraged.

"That's not true, there's going to be your roommate, whom I can't wait to meet by the way, and he'll probably bring some of his friends. Pleeeeease." She said jumping on the bed next to me, looking at me with her best sad puppy eyes, her mouth pouting. I let myself fall back on the bed with a defeated sigh.

"Fine, but nothing too short or low cut. You know I don't feel comfortable in that kind of stuff."

"Yay!" exclaimed Ruby as she got up, jumping towards her closet to find some clothes to lend me.

* * *

It was 6:30 p.m and I just finished closing the music store. David came to join me at work so we could go buy the supplies for tonight. We went to grocery store to buy some chips, beer, juice, soda and some ice, and then we went to the liquor store to buy the hard stuff. We returned to the apartment around 7p.m. and we dropped our purchases on the kitchen table before we put them away.

An hour later people started to arrive, all friends of David. He introduced me to his friends; I couldn't remember all of their names but they were really nice. I was in the living room chatting with this guy called August when we heard the door open followed by a girl yelling.

"WE'RE HERE!" said a brunette with red lips as she jumped on this guy whose name was Victor. As they were kissing, all the people around us were yelling them to get a room. I heard another set of footstep in the hallway, and I turned around to see Emma walking in the living room.

I blinked a couple of times; I didn't recognize her at first. Her blonde hair, that was usually wavy, was curled up. She was wearing a little bit of make-up, a small black line drawn across her eyelid, and her eyelashes were black, which made her green eyes pop. She was wearing a navy dress that hugged her curves perfectly, with a square neckline, thick stripes, and the hem of her dress stopped just before her knees. She was clearly a sight to behold. She went to greet her friends, and when she came around to me she mumbled a shy hello. She was clearly uncomfortable in that dress, but she looked bloody beautiful.

Slowly people got settled and they were dispersed all around the place, everybody had a drink in hand and there was good music playing. After a while, Graham arrived with Robin. It wasn't that I didn't like David's friends, but I was happy to see some familiar faces. We went to the kitchen and poured ourselves some rum.

"So, where's Emma?" asked Graham.

"I don't know, she must be around somewhere."

"Is it true that this woman can't stand the sight of you?" asked Robin with a light chuckle.

"It's not that she doesn't like the sight of me, she's just kind of a loner. She _is_ quite hard to grasp, though."

"Mmm…" he responded while taking a sip of his drink. "So have you heard from Milah lately?" Robin inquired.

"And, at that, I'm leaving." Graham said, taking his drink with him as he went to mingle with the others.

"Ugh… no, I haven't and I don't want to." I told Robin. She was the last person that I wanted to see.

"I understand that she hurt you, but you should at least talk to her and clear the air."

"What is there to clarify? She played me and she lied to me for _years_. I don't want to talk about her anymore." I vociferated. I filled my glass, and decided to walk around to cool myself down. I didn't mean to lash out at Robin, but every time I thought about her I couldn't stop myself from boiling over.

As I was walking towards the living room, I saw Emma. She had her back leaned on the wall near the hallway and she was talking with Graham. He was standing in front of her, saying something to her and she started to laugh. I've never seen her laugh this way and I couldn't help but feel jealous of my friend. He was able to make her smile and laugh when the only thing that I got in exchange was her cold stare.


	4. Chapter 4

I took a sip of my beer, and I cursed myself for letting Ruby convince me to let her choose my clothes for tonight. I felt overdress for a party in my own apartment, my hair all curled up, with make-up, a tight dress and high heeled shoes really didn’t scream ‘let’s have a casual party to celebrate the end of this semester.’ Instead, I looked like a girl who was trying too much to seek attention. _Damn you, Ruby._ I couldn’t stand to be in those shoes anymore so I walked toward the entrance, to take off my shoes and leave them with all the others. When I came back, Killian’s friend was standing in front of me.

“Hi, Emma!” He said with smile.

“Hi… ummm…” I said as I was trying to remember what his name was.

“Graham.” He answered with a light chuckle; he must have sensed my memory lapse. I smiled at him, feeling a little bit guilty for it.

“I’m so sorry, I’m not really good with names.” I justified.

“No worries, we only saw each other once, and that was when Killian moved in; so it has been awhile.” He answered, shifting nervously. “So, I’ve been told that you and your brother decided to throw this party to celebrate. What are you celebrating?” He asked me as took a sip from his drink, his gaze fixed on me.

“The end of this long and painful semester.” I replied.

“Oh, well that’s a good reason. What do you study?”

“It’s my second year studying sociology.”

“Wow, what are you planning to do with your degree?” He asked me as I took a sip from my beer.

“There are a lot of options out there. I mainly want to work with struggling communities, helping them find work, learn their rights, help their families and that kind of stuff.” I explained to him.

“Emma the Saviour, to the rescue!” Joked Graham as he lifted one of his arms up as if he was a superhero. I couldn’t help myself but laugh at his comment. Just when I was about to reply, there was a soft, gentle hand that touched my shoulder. I turned around to see whose hand it was. I came face to face with girl with a pixie haircut, raven black hair and a set of kind green eyes.

“Oh hey! Mary Margaret, you made it!” I exclaimed.

“Hi Emma, how are you?” she asked as she pulled me into her arms for a hug.

“I’m good, it’s nice to see you again.”

“You too, I just arrived and I wasn’t sure if I was in the right apartment, since I don’t know anybody here— well, except for you and David.” She said with a smile. “Is David around?” She asked as her eyes started to scan around the room.

“Yeah, come on.” I told her as I took her hand for her to follow me across the room. I turned back to Graham before leaving. “Nice to talking to you Graham, see you later.”

“See you, Emma.” He simply replied as I left him alone on his spot.

When we arrived in the kitchen, we saw David standing next to the dining the table, talking with Killian and another guy, which I assumed was another of Killian’s friends. They were engrossed in their discussion and we could hear them laughing so loudly that they didn’t even hear us arrive. I touched my brother’s arm, he turned around and the second he saw Mary Margaret his eyes softened.

“Hey, Mary Margaret, you made it. I was afraid you weren’t going to come.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” She said with a shy smile and David looked at her with the same loving gaze. They really had it bad for each other and they were the only two people who didn’t see that. I cleared my throat and they both jumped slightly, their eyes leaving each other’s. I looked at David with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, so, Mary Margaret, this is my roommate Killian, and this is his friend Robin.” They both nodded.

“It’s nice to meet you, I have heard a lot of lovely things about you.” Said Killian, David immediately turning his head towards with a look that said: ‘what the hell are you doing?’

“Sooo… Do you want a drink?” quickly said David, before our roommate could say anything else.

“Sure!” She said in her usual chirpy voice as she followed David through the kitchen. I was left alone with Killian and his friend Robin, and I really didn’t know what to say. I raised both of my eyebrows and looked at them with tight smile. _Wow, this was awkward._

“So, I’ll see you guys later.” I turned on my heels and went back to the living room to join Ruby, who was sitting on the couch.

**

The party kept going strong and people were having fun. So did I, it felt good to finally let go of all the pressure I’ve been enduring with work and school. I could see that more and more people were getting sloshed, and we were soon going to run out of our beer stock, and it wouldn’t be long before we took out the hard stuff. And every time we had a party and we started to drink the hard stuff Ruby always had to propose a drinking game. So when Ruby entered the living room with a bottle of Jameson in one hand and a pack of cards in the other, I knew what was coming.

“Who wants to play _Kings_?” asked Ruby a little too loudly.

Everybody answered Ruby by cheering. _Here we go_ , I thought.

“Yay! So let me explain the rules to those haven’t played this game before. I’m going to place this deck of cards face down on the table, and one at the time you’re going to pick a card. Each card number will tell you what to do, so if you pick card with a 2 on it, you have to do what you’re asked to.” Explained Ruby.

“How will we know what each card does, love?” asked Killian.

“I will write them on a paper with each consequences.” Replied my friend, and she then turned around so she could look at me. “Emma can you go get some shot glasses?”

“Yup.” I answered as I got myself up from the couch.

I went into the kitchen, looking for the plastic shot glasses that my brother bought at the dollar store. I started to look through the kitchen but I couldn’t find them. I decided to go fetch David so he could help, but before I could, Killian entered the room.

“Need a hand, love?”

“No, I’m fine.” I answered. I was about to pass him when he moved to his right, preventing me from leaving. I let out a frustrated sigh the second he was in front of me.

“What do you want, Jones?” I asked him, crossing my arms in front of my chest, dropping my right hip.

“I just wanted to help you find those shot glasses, but you really can’t seem to accept any of my nice gestures. What did I do for you to be so cold to me all the time?”

“Nothing.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe, love. You do everything in your power to avoid me, to even talk to me. And when you do, well let’s say it’s not in a friendly tone.” His blue eyes were locked on mine; I could see that he was angry and seeking an explanation. I stood there completely frozen, his eyes burning through me. I wanted to answer him but I really didn’t know what to tell him. Luckily, David arrived behind him.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Uh…yeah. Killian was about to help me find the glasses.” I told him. Killian looked at me with a confused expression, but I avoided his gaze the best that I could. I knew that what I told David wasn’t true, but I just didn’t want to deal with all of this right now. Especially not when a group of people were waiting for us.

“Do you know where they are?” David asked Killian.

“No, I don’t.”

David walked passed him and went to open the small cupboard above the sink. He grabbed the plastic bag filled with the small plastic cups. “Here we go.” My brother smiled and went back to the living room. I started to walk behind him when Killian grabbed my arm and he looked at me with a questioning look, still waiting for me to answer him. My eyes levelled with his eyes and I cast him a look that told him that we would talk later, before I joined everybody in the other room. I felt him following me and he went to stand next to his friends.

David had given a plastic shooter cup to everybody and Ruby left the bottle of Jameson on the table, the cards displayed face down all around the bottle creating a circle. Ruby decided to break the ice and was the first one to pick a card.

“Three! So this number means I’ve got to take 3 sips of my drink!” She said more to those who never played the game than to herself, since we knew how to play it. She turned around to the person standing next to her, which was her boyfriend. “Victor, it’s now your turn.”

He bent down to pick a random card and showed it to us. He had a card with number 6 on it. “Oh! All the guys have to drink!” exclaimed Victor.

It went on like this for a couple of rounds. Some of the cards made us establish rules and Jefferson had the marvellous idea to make us slap ourselves before having a sip of our drink. Mary Margaret established the rule of no curse words. If we broke those rules or forgot to apply them we had to drink 2 sips, if we still forgot, 3 sips and so on. Some picked the cards where everyone needs to take a shot. After a couple of rounds, I felt my body heat up from all the alcohol I drank. I could feel my cheeks burn up, so I decided to stop playing the game and get up to get some fresh air. The second I stood on my two feet, I realised that I was tipsier than I thought, but I still managed to walk in a decent manner towards the balcony.

The moment I got outside I felt the wind brush my body and it felt amazing. I leaned forward and dropped my arms on the balcony fence. I lifted my head and closed my eyes, enjoying the breeze, listening to the sounds that were unique to the city. Suddenly, I heard the balcony door slide and felt someone standing next to me. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see that it was Killian. He was looking over the balcony, watching the cars passing by on the street. We both stood there in silence for awhile, before I decided to finally break the ice.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, love?” he asked, raising one of his thick eyebrows.

“For being a bitch.” I said bluntly.

He laughed softly. “I don’t think you are a bitch. I just want to know if I did something to offend you?”

“Well, not really. It’s just…” I paused, sighing heavily. “I don’t know why, but you make me feel uncomfortable. And the fact that I can’t put my finger on it makes me want to push you away.”

“Is it because of all the teasing comments I make?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. But they certainly don’t help!”

“I really don’t want us to continue living like this. I’m not saying that we should be friends, but at least get along. We are living under the same roof and don’t want you feeling uneasy in your own apartment. I can try I stop making the comments, but you have to meet me halfway. Perhaps a ‘hello,’ a ‘thank you,’ or at least acknowledging my presence would be a start.” He adjures. “What do you say, love? Do you want to start over?”

My eyes searched his, and all I could see was raw honesty in his sparkling blue eyes. He was right, we couldn’t continue acting like this, I couldn’t continue acting like this. I didn’t want to be uncomfortable in my own apartment while having a roommate, but it seemed I created those moments with him.

“Okay. Let’s start over.” I answered him with smile and he responded with a smirk.

“Want to go back in?”

“Sure.”

“After you.” He said as he pointed his arm towards the door.

“Well, aren’t you a gentleman?” I said teasingly as I walked passed him. He opened the door and he answered me with smile. “I’m _always_ a gentleman, darling.”


	5. Chapter 5

   Since our discussion at the party, Killian really did make an effort to tone down his comments filled with innuendos, and I was grateful for it. He let the occasional comment slip and, as usual, I just rolled my eyes and ignored his comments.

As promised, I also tried to be nicer to him and since then there was less tension between us, and our living situation was more pleasant. I’d been hanging out more with David and Killian, spending evenings on the balcony enjoying the hot weather whilst drinking a cold beer. I realised that Killian isn’t as annoying as I originally thought but I still thought that he was smug and cheeky.

Since his arrival, things had changed a lot around the apartment; David and I were less stressed out when it came to money, my brother now had a new friend to hang out with, and now that my relationship with the Irishman was tolerable, it wasn’t that bad having him around.

It was Sunday and, as usual, I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. to get myself ready for work and I was starving and in desperate need of caffeine. When I came out of my room I found Killian in his sweatpants and in a white T-shirt, already in the kitchen preparing coffee. He turned his head around towards me the second he heard my door open.

“Hello love, how are you this morning?” He asked me with one of his usual annoyingly attractive smirk, the fact that that smirk of his had any effect on me made me want to slap it off his face. I cursed myself for thinking that anything that came from him was attractive.

“I told you already, Jones, no pet names.” I gritted as I glared at him. He looked at me with both of his eyebrows raised, his hands up in surrender, laughing slightly at my response.

“Wow, you’re in a good mood this morning.” He said as he moved out of my way to let me open the fridge next to him. He went to sit down at the table while he waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

“It’s 7 in the morning and I need to go to work, of course I’m in a good mood.” I told him sarcastically with a fake smile. I turned my attention back to my task as I grabbed the bread and closed the fridge door and took two slices and dropped them in the toaster. I shifted around so I could look at him, my back leaning on the counter my hands gripping the edge of it.

“Why are _you_ up so early? I mean if I were you I would stay in bed until noon.”

He looked at me with an eyebrow raised and a cocky grin on his face. “I would if I had a pretty lass like you accompanying me.”

I rolled my eyes at his comment, letting out a frustrated sigh. _He’s so infuriating._ “Jones! Didn’t we talk about this? No more innuendos or sexual comments of any kind.”

He kept on laughing, which only served to make me more frustrated with him.

“I’m sorry, Swan, but it’s too easy.” He told me, still laughing.

He got up from his chair when the coffee machine when it stopped making the familiar sound of coffee brewing. He went to stand next to me as the machine was next to the toaster, still smiling. My eyes followed him as I glared at him while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Well I don’t care if it’s easy, please stop.” I begged him.

He poured a second cup, adding the exact amount of sugar and milk I would, he stirred the hot liquid, when he finished he handed me the mug.

I took it, completely dumbfounded. _How did he know how I liked my coffee?_

“What would be the fun in that?” He asked as he raised one of his eyebrows up, taking a sip of his coffee before heading towards his bedroom.

I stood there looking at the kitchen exit completely frozen; the sound of my toast popping out drew me out from my thoughts. I dropped the mug he offered me and I started to prepare my breakfast quickly when I saw it was already 7:12 and realised I needed to be out of the apartment in 20 minutes if I didn’t want to be late for work.

I damned my infuriating and attractive roommate for distracting me from my usual morning routine and blamed him when I arrived just in time at Granny’s, out of breath since I ran to make sure I wasn’t late.

* * *

 

After my encounter with Emma this morning, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

Since the party things have been better between us and I’ve been trying hard not get her annoyed with my constant comments.

When I occasionally let one slip she would only respond with a roll of her eyes and sometimes I could get a glimpse of a smile, but of course she would deny it if I pointed it out.

But today was different, she clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed and wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries and I felt a little bad when I realised that I may have pushed my comments a little too far, considering a recent truce. I felt her rush through the apartment before she left to work and I assumed she was a bit late.

As I got prepared to go to work, I decided that I would find a way to make it up to her tonight. I finished getting dressed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

 

* * *

 

Sunday mornings were usually pretty busy at Granny’s and today wasn’t an exception.

I ran back and forth taking orders, refilling coffee mugs and bringing plates to my assigned tables. The adrenaline rush that came with such a crowd woke me more than the coffee Killian made me, making me switch in automatic mode and I was grateful for it because I was dreading my ability to do my job when I opened my eyes this morning.

As the first hours of my shifted progressed it only got busier, and my energy slowly started to falter as I started making small mistakes, like forgetting the glass of water the customer asked me for or forgetting one little item in their order and then the mistakes gradually got bigger.

The worst one was when I needed to make a fresh pot of coffee and I forgot that I’ve had already pressed the button that started the coffee to pour in the pot and without even realising it I pressed it twice. A couple of minutes later when I went to my station to prepare a bowl of soup I was shocked when I saw the pot overflowing with coffee which was still pouring, spilling coffee everywhere on the counter and on the floor.

I cursed myself and ran to stop the machine, and tried to clean up my mess fast since I still had a shitload of tables to serve. This day officially turned out to be hell.

I managed to survive the breakfast and lunch rush without further major accidents.

It was now 2 p.m. and I was looking forward to the end of my shift. Granny decided to send me on break since it was now calm, and I still had 3 hours to my workday’s end.

I ordered a B.L.T. from the kitchen and went to make myself a hot chocolate with cinnamon while my sandwich was being made.

I finished preparing my drink as the cook rang the bell that informed me that my food was ready. I took the plate and my mug, grabbed the weekend newspaper edition and I went to sit outside at one of the free tables to eat, since I really needed some fresh air, the heat from the restaurant becoming nauseating. The fresh air brushing my sheened skin felt amazing.

I choose a table far from the restaurant entrance and from the sidewalk, wanting to be left alone.

I opened the newspaper and started to skim through it as I ate. As I took the last bite of my sandwich, I felt my phone vibrated inside the pocket of my red apron. I took the napkin that was under my plate, and cleaned my hands before taking out my phone.

It was a text message from David asking me if I had any plans for tonight as he wanted to know if I wanted to have a movie night with him and our roommate, I started typing my response when I heard a man’s voice with a soft lilted accent above me.

“Emma?”

I lifted my head to see who it was; I had to squint my eyes because of a ray of sun that hit me straight on my face. I could discern a tall man with brown hair and soft curls. I raised my hand above my forehead so I could get a better look, when I did I instantly recognise who it was.

“Graham?”

He laughed softly at the uncertainty in my voice, since the last time we saw each other I didn’t even remember his name.

“Yes. You work here?”

“Um, yeah I do.” I answered him with a smile.

“Do you mind if I sit?”

“Um, no.” I moved my chair a little so he could he move the chair next to me for him to sit. As he was now sitting, the sun didn’t blind me as much, so I could now see him more clearly.

“So, how are your vacations up until now?”

“Not bad, I’ve been working a lot though, still need the money.” I replied with my eyebrows raised, my mouth in thin smile, as I lifted my mug for a sip.

“Do you guys have less financial problems now that Killian is living with you guys?”

I licked the whipped cream from my upper lip before I answered.

“Yes, a lot actually, but there are still a lot of debts to be paid.”

“Well at least there’s less pressure.” He said with a sweet smile his brown eyes locked on mine and I couldn’t help myself from smiling back.

“So what brings you here?” I asked him.

“I was walking back to my car, when I saw you sitting here all on your own and thought I could stop by and say hi.” He answered as I could glimpse a hint of red spreading on his cheeks under his stubble.

“Oh, that’s nice of you. It’s nice to speak with someone aside from taking an order.”

He chuckled at my comment; I saw him shifting in his seat as he lowered his gaze. He took a deep breath as if he was building up courage for something.

“So, Emma, are you doing anything tonight?” I was about to say yes, when I told myself that I could stay home with the guys, a thing that I do almost every night, or do something with someone else.

“No, why?”

“I was wondering if you might want to go out, have a drink or whatever you might want to do.” He blurted.

“A drink sounds like fun.” I replied him with a smile.

He looked happy with my answer as his smile widened. “So what time do you want to meet up?”

“Let’s say, 7 at McCarold’s?”

“Perfect—see you tonight, then.” He got up from his chair and started to walk away, when got to the sidewalk he looked back one last time casting me one last smile as he waved goodbye.

I stayed in my seat grinning like an idiot. I had no idea what just happened and why I was excited for this, I mean he was attractive there’s no denying that. I looked back at my phone to see what time it was and realised that my break was about to finish. I reopened David’s text message and deleted what I started to answer him and typed in something new.

_Sorry David, I’ve got plans tonight._

I hit the send button and got up, grabbing my plate, which had breadcrumbs on it, and my mug and went back inside the diner. I was now really looking forward to the end of my shift.

 

* * *

 

I locked the door of the store, glad that this day finally came to an end.

Regina was a pain in the ass as usual, bossing me around as if this was my first day working here. At least today I was working with Tink, a petite sweet blond that started working here a couple of weeks ago. After Regina left for the day we actually cheered at her departure, making the last hour of our shifts more bearable.

I went back to my register and started to count the takings as Tink finished cleaning up the store.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” asked Tink when she finished cleaning the floor as she went to readjust a couple of CD cases on the shelves in front of the register.

“I’m having a movie night with my roommates.” I answered as I finished counting, taking the cash register and dropping the sales report on top of it, walking towards the back of the store. She followed me since she finished her part of her close.

“What about you?”

I dropped my knees to the floor as I opened the safe where we stored the cash register, when I did, I closed the door and saw Tink readjusting the bun on top of her head as she answered me.

“I’m going out with a couple of friends, I was wondering if you might want to join us.”

I got up and went to my locker to grab my stuff.

“Maybe another time.” I told her with a smile. “So, are you ready to go?”

She nodded and we both went towards the door. I stopped to set up the alarm, Tink waiting for me outside of the store. When it started to beep I hurried my steps to the door, the beeping reminding me I still had 30 seconds. When I finally locked the doors of the store, Tink and I said goodbye and went our separate ways.

I made a detour to the liquor store, since I wanted to grab a bottle of wine, Emma’s favourite kind, as a way to apologizing for my behaviour this morning.

After a good 15 minute walk from the liquor store, I arrived at my apartment.

I climbed the three flights of stairs before arriving to my door. As I was about to insert my keys in the lock, the door swung open and I was face to face with Emma.

Her soft golden curls were bouncing on her shoulders and she was wearing a summer dress with a floral print. She had a dab of red lipstick on her lips and a thin black line adorning her eyelids.

We both stood there, surprised to see each other.

“Jesus Killian, you scared me!” Emma said with a hand splayed on her chest.

“Sorry, lo… Emma. I must say, you look beautiful.”

She shifted uncomfortably as a shade of pink appeared on her cheekbones.

“Uh, thanks.” She said as she left the doorway, passing by me.

“You’re not staying for movie night?” I asked, confused.

“Uh… no, I actually have a date.”

“With whom?”

“It’s none of your business, actually. But if you must know, it’s with your friend Graham.”

I looked at her, dumbfounded by her answer. She looked at her watch and then back at me with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, Killian, but I have to go.” She turned around and climbed down the stairs.

I stood there, looking at the spot on which she was standing a second ago. I felt conflicted on what just happened, not able to put words on how I felt towards this situation. I finally went inside and went to my room.

I sat on my bed and I automatically knew that I would ruminate on Emma being out with Graham all night if I stayed in. I took my phone and scrolled down my contact list, when I found the name I was looking for, I sent text message to that person.

_Where are you guys going tonight?_


	6. Chapter 6

   I arrived at McCarold’s fifteen minutes late, as my encounter with Killian held me back a little bit.

I scanned around the pub to see if Graham was already here. I saw from afar a hand wave at me, I squinted my eyes and saw that it was him, sitting in the back. I smiled and walked through the crowded bar and went to join him.

Near the entrance, there was a big group of people who didn’t budge from where they stood as I asked them if they could let me go through. When they didn’t hear me after many attempts, I stopped being polite and pushed the petite blond girl out of the way and made my way through to my date as she gave me the stink eye.

“Hey! I hope I didn’t make you wait too long?” I asked as we both leaned in to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.

“No, I just got here a couple of minutes ago.”

“Ah great, I really didn’t want to keep you waiting. Stuff happened back at the apartment that I wasn’t expecting.” I told him as I sat down.

“What kind of stuff?”

“Well, I missed my bus when I finished working and when I got home I didn’t have that much time left to get ready and just when I was leaving the apartment I bumped into Killian.” I responded.

“Oh.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he listened. “What did you tell him?”

“That I was going on a date with you.” I said casually.

We were interrupted by a waitress that came to our table to take our order. We both hadn’t had supper so we ordered food with our beer. I decided to go with a classic, a burger and Graham ordered some fish’n’chips.

When the waitress left, we both looked at each other with a shy and uncomfortable smile, and I felt the nervousness that came with being on a date.

It was especially weird for me since I haven’t been on a date since Neal, and after he left me I swore that I wasn’t going to go on a date again.

I don’t know what made me want to change my mind with Graham, but he seemed very sweet and gentle. I didn’t let my guard down though; because when I met Neal I also thought that he was sweet and kind.

“Well I’ve got to say you look very beautiful tonight, Emma, as always.”

I simply smiled at him as he said his compliment. “Thank you.”

When our drinks arrived, we cheered and took a sip of our drinks.

“So.” I asked him, breaking the silence between us. “You know what I study and know that I work at Granny’s, but I still don’t know what _you_ do?”

“I work at the sheriff’s station as deputy.”

I looked at him with an impress look. I mean I couldn’t picture him as an authority figure; he seemed way too sweet for that.

We kept talking and sharing stories as we waited for our food to arrive, I quickly became comfortable with him. I didn’t know why, there was something about him that I found soothing.

Maybe it was the way he talked and his calmness, he didn’t seem to be one of those guys who just went from girl to girl. He was the complete opposite of his best friend, and I really appreciated it, especially after the relapse my relationship with Killian had earlier today.

 

* * *

 

I left the apartment as soon as my phone alerted me with the address of the bar.

I didn’t know why the fact that Emma went on a date with Graham bothered me that much. I mean she can do whatever she wants, date whomever she wants, it’s none of my business. I could admit that she was gorgeous, sexy, feisty and smart. Any man should consider themselves lucky if they had any kind of affection coming from her.

But there was still this feeling tingling inside of me.

The best way to not think about all of this, and try to understand what I was feeling was to just go out, drink and forget.

I arrived at the bar, and found who I was looking for the moment I entered the place since her and her friends were crowding the front entrance.

“KILLIAN!!” Screamed Tink as she jumped in my arms, clearly inebriated. “You’ve made it! I’m glad that you decided to join us!”

“Well my plans got cancelled love, so why not go out and have drink instead.”

She took me by the hand and presented me to all of her friends. With the loud music, she had to yell at me in my ear all of her friend’s name, and I just smiled back at them, remembering not one of their names.

I waited a couple of minutes for a waitress to come by, but seeing how busy the place was I knew it would take awhile to have some service, so I decided to go order directly at the bar.

When I joined back Tink’s group of friends, they had received a round of shots that they had ordered previously. I went to stand next to Tink as she lent me one of the shot glasses, I took it with my hand that was free as we all cheered and chugged the drink. I slammed my glass on the table and immediately took a sip of my beer.

It went on like that for a while, drinking beer, getting to know my co-worker’s friends, and being handed shots. I slowly felt the alcohol numb the unwanted feelings I had earlier and I couldn’t be happier.

After my third pint, I had the urge to go to the bathroom to relieve myself since all of the alcohol I drank had made its way back down. I walked towards the back of the pub and searched for the little white man logo.

As I got out from the bathroom, I saw someone who looked awfully a lot like my best mate, and there was a blond haired lass, her back towards me. I walked slightly in their direction, and squinted so I could focus my eyes to the distance and the dim lights, and as I realised that it was indeed Graham, I heard Emma’s intoxicating laugh.

I sauntered over to their table and as I approached, Graham lifted his head up and saw me. Emma must had sense he saw someone he knew because not a second later her beaming face turned around, her golden locks bouncing in the process.

She saw me and her face fell, the act pinching deep in my chest.

When I arrived at their table, I cast them one of my dashing smiles.

“Hey, Killian. What brings you here, mate?”

“I came to join a work friend over there.” I answered him as I pointed to where Tink was standing.

Emma turned her head around to look at where my hand was pointing. When she had a look at the group in front of the pub, she snapped her head back at me.

“You mean you’re hanging out with that group of bimbos over there?”

“Are you jealous, Swan, that you aren’t the only woman in my life?” I asked her with a smirk.

She puffed in annoyance as she rolled her eyes before answering.

“You wish, Jones.” I chuckled at her typical response.

“Anyway, I leave you too back to your date. If you two want to join us later you’re welcome.” I offered them.

“Sure thing.” Graham responded, Emma turning her head away from me, looking at her glass, her jaw clenching.

I went to the bar before joining the group, ordering myself a shot and a beer. Knowing that they were on a date was frustrating enough, seeing them was a whole other thing.

 

* * *

 

It took me awhile to calm myself without freaking Graham out as I tried the best I could to hide my anger. _What the hell was he doing here?_ I mean what was his problem to follow me to my date?

 I tried to forget about him and his blue eyes burning through me, and tried to focus on what Graham was saying. I half listened to what he was saying and suddenly Graham was getting up from his chair. I looked at him, confusion written all over my face. He looked at me with a questioning look.

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“I just told you I was going to the bathroom.”

“Oh, yeah sorry. I guess I didn’t hear with the music and everything.” I tried to justify the fact that I wasn’t really paying attention. He looked at me with a smile before going to the restroom.

The moment I was alone at the table, I couldn’t stop my eyes from looking at the entrance, where Killian said he was hanging out. I searched the crowd of people who were standing there, and I saw Killian, beer in hand, leaning into the petite blond who wouldn’t let me through earlier. They were standing really close, talking into each other’s ears, as she was stroking his biceps.

I felt my cheeks go red from anger as I boiled inside. Just when I tore my eyes from that scene, Graham came back at the table. Wanting to get rid of that image burning into my brain, I decided that I needed more alcohol.

“Hey, what do say we order some shots?” I asked him, he looked me unsure at my proposition.

“Uh, yeah, okay.”

“Great!” I shifted on my chair so I could see where was our waitress was. When I spotted her, I waved my arm so she could see us. When she did, she came to our table.

“So what can I get you guys? Another beer?” The brunette asked.

“Yes, and four tequila shots.” The moment I ordered our drinks, I saw Graham’s eyes widen.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to take some shots.”

“Yeah, well I’m not working tomorrow and I never get the time to go out to drink, so might as well make the most of it.”  When our drinks arrived I licked the skin between my index and my thumb at the back of my hand; I grabbed the salt and shook it over the wet skin.

I gave the salt to Graham, and I took the slice and lime between my index and thumb with the hand coated with salt. I grabbed one of the shots in front of me and lifted it up as I cheered with my date, before licking the salt, drinking the clear liquid in one big gulp and then biting on the lime.

I winced after doing those three steps as I felt the liquid running down my throat with a burning sensation, instantly feeling the effect of the alcohol I ingested taking its toll.

We took a moment to recover from our first shot before taking our second. I felt my head buzzing with alcohol as it made my cheeks grew hot. I looked back at where Killian was, the blond girl still glued to him, and I felt myself getting angry again.

“What do you say we join Killian and his friends?” I asked Graham, he looked at me with a resign smile before nodding.

We both got up taking our beers with us before joining them. When we reached his group I tapped on Killian’s shoulder with my free hand. He shifted his body around; when he saw us he smiled, whereas the annoying blonde at his side frowned at our appearance, clearly annoyed that we interrupted them.

“So, you two decided to join us.” Stated Killian.

“Yeah, well…” I started realising quickly that I didn’t know why I insisted on joining him. I started to panic slightly when I didn’t found a reason to justify our presence amongst his group, and I was glad that is annoying friend interrupted us.

“Who is _she_?” She asked Killian.

“Tink, this is my roommate Emma, and this is my best mate Graham, you guys this is Tink, a co-worker.”

“Nice to meet you.” Greeted Graham as Tink turned her attention towards me and interrupted him.

“You’re the one who pushed me earlier, that was pretty rude.”

“Yeah, well you didn’t leave me a choice, I asked about four times if I could pass and you didn’t budge.” I shot back as I raised my voice, the alcohol slowly taking control of my faculties.

“Okay, Swan, calm down.” Killian told me, I looked at him outraged by his comment. Deciding not make things worst, I turned around towards Graham.

“I’m going to the bathroom, do you want to leave after?”

“Sure.” He answered me, surprise by the sudden change of plan.

I took one last gulp of my glass before dropping it at the nearest table and walked to the end of the bar. I opened the door to the vestibule, which had two doors leading to the bathroom. I went into one of the rooms and I opened the faucet and dabbed my face with some cold water, trying to get a grip on my mixed emotions.

When I finished, I dried my face and opened the door. As I was getting out, I bumped into a firm body. I lifted my head so I could apologise, but stopped when I saw who it was.

“Why do we always have these sort of encounters in or near the restroom love?” He asked me with one of smug smirks.

“What did I tell you, Jones? No pet names!” I gritted.

“Ooh, what’s got you all riled up tonight, sweetheart? Not enjoying your date?” He asked as he invaded my personal space.

“You’re the one riling me up!” I answered as I poked his chest with my index finger. “I mean what the hell were you doing here? “

“What am I doing here? I already told you, I came to join some friends after you ditched movie night. As far as I know, I’m allowed.”

“Yeah, right. You just couldn’t stand for me to go out with one of your friends.”

He laughed dryly at my implication before answering me.

“Why would that bother me, lass?”

“Because you just can’t stand the fact that I would prefer to hang out with your friend than you; you just can’t stand not having all the female attention.”

“Really? That’s what you think it is? Let me tell you a little secret, _sweetheart_ , I can get any girl I like if I wanted to.” He answered as he emphasized on the pet name which made me cringe.

“Oh yeah, like that rude little blond girl you’ve been flirting with all night?”

He cocked his head to the side as his mouth went up to one side. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that someone’s jealous.”

“Please, me jealous of you? Never.” I told him as I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t think so, I saw you taking several glimpses at me tonight. Why would you do that if you were on a date?” He asked me.

I looked at him, not knowing how to answer. I locked my eyes on his, trying to find something to say, not wanting him to win this argument, but all I felt was the urge to slap his winning grin off his face, or just kiss it off.

Not thinking straight with all the alcohol I drank, I grabbed his shirt and pulling him down on me so I could press my lips firmly on his. He stood still for a second as he was taken aback with my sudden reaction.

When he registered what was happening, both his hands went to the back of my head as he parted his lips to deepen the kiss. I sucked his bottom lip in my mouth slightly nipping at it afterwards as my hands went to his back, traveling further down, gripping his behind firmly pushing my lower body on his. He grunted at my actions and pushed me back into the single restroom I was in minutes before.

He managed to close and lock the door as he entered the room, our lips still kissing desperately.

My back hit the wall as he lifted both of my legs up as I wrapped them around his waist, my dress pulling itself up. I instantly started to press my hips down seeking friction. I could feel his bulge underneath his pants rubbing on my core covered by panties only.

We both moaned loudly as we both started to dry hump in a desperately in the bar’s bathroom. Killian’s lips left mine as he started to trail kisses down my neck, my hands clutching at his shoulders, needing something to hold on to as I felt this shot of lust simmering down low in my abdomen.

All of sudden there was a knock on the door, which pulled us both off this haze. When I fully realised what just happened I unhooked my legs from his waist so I could drop my feet back on the ground. I pushed him off me and unlocked the door before fleeing the room without leaving Killian time to say anything, as I walked back into the bar trying to catch my breath.

I was halfway through the bar, when I felt a hand grab my wrist. I turned around and was face to face with Killian looking at me intently, confusion in his blue eyes.

“Emma…” He started and I interrupted him before he could say anything else.

“Look Killian, forget what just happened, okay? It was a huge mistake. Whatever it was.” He released my wrist at my words and I walked back towards Graham.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the next chapter, please don’t hate me after reading this!!
> 
> *Thanks to Nicki, oncertwice as always for editing it! ;)

My eyes were closed, and slightest movement made my head pound. My mouth was completely dry and I felt as if my brain was swimming in an ocean of alcohol.

I tried lifting my head, but the task made me wince in pain so I just let my head fall back on the pillow. I don’t know what made me want to drink that much last night, but it was a bad idea.

Suddenly the image of Emma on her date with Graham came to mind, followed by the feeling of her lips on mine, her hips pushing down on me, seeking friction, hearing the moans that escaped her mouth as I attacked her neck. Just the thought of it made me hard again.

She had caught me completely by surprise; I really didn’t expect her to kiss me and I would be lying if I said I had never thought about it, she is beautiful but also infuriating. The way she left things made me angrier, brushing it off as if it was nothing. I don’t remember well what happened after she left, what I do remember was drinking a lot.

I finally collected enough energy to open my eyes and get up so I could get myself a glass of water and rehydrate myself. When I opened my eyes, I looked at the room around me and realised I wasn’t in my bed. I turned my head towards the other side of the bed, and saw a brunette lying next to me, her face buried in her pillow, preventing me from seeing her face.

That’s when I realised I was actually _naked_ under the covers.

I looked back at the girl next to me who shifted on her side, I squinted my eyes to have a better look at her face, and recognized her as being one of Tink’s friends, I didn’t even remember her name. I sat up in the bed and looked for my clothes that were scattered all around her room.

When I finished getting myself dressed and ready to leave, I heard the sheets rustling behind me. The brunette lifted her head up and looked at me with a sleepy look.

“You’re already leaving? I was hoping we could go another round.” Asked the brunette as she looked at me with a seductive look. I turned around as I rubbed my neck, smirking.

“Maybe another time love, I really need to go now.” I told her with a small smile as she looked at me with a pout.

“I hope we will. Bye, Killian.” She told me as I left her room, closing the door behind me. I walked through the unknown apartment and left as soon as I found the door.

Finally outside, I looked at my surroundings, trying to figure out where I was as I looked for a street sign. When I did, I started walking towards my apartment reviewing in my head all of the past events, mainly occupied by Emma.

After what happened last night, I couldn’t deny anymore what my feelings towards her were. I always thought that she was gorgeous and had a lot of fire in her, but when I found out about her date with Graham I couldn’t help but feel jealous of him, rationalizing that it was because she was kind to him and wasn’t with me.

I tried convincing myself when I saw them together last night at the bar, that it wasn’t jealousy that I was just mad at her for bailing on movie night. But after she pounced on me with her demanding lips, I knew I couldn’t deny my feelings towards her. The touch of her lips on mine, her hands roaming my back, hearing those sounds that I made her do, made me realize how much I wanted her, _still_ want her.

I hated to admit it, but I was jealous of my mate because _he_ got to take her out on a date, he got to see her being relax, smiling and warm, whereas I got to see her frown, growl, and act coldly.

I arrived at my building twenty minutes later, walking up the stairs, still thinking about her and felt my heart beat faster wondering how she would act with me when I got home. I stood in front of the door, keys in hand, inhaling deeply preparing myself for whatever was waiting for me inside.

I unlocked the door and went in. The apartment was silent apart from the sound coming out from the kitchen. Hearing a soft giggle and low growl, my stomach twisted at the thought of Emma and Graham together. I walked further into the apartment and wondered if I should go to greet them or go directly to my room and ignore them. I took a step further into the living room and my foot caught on a piece of clothing as tripped, knocking my knee on the coffee table, making my presence known.

I cursed as I massaged the sore spot on my leg. I heard the sound of steps coming out of the kitchen, hearing a manly voice calling out to me.

“Killian? Are you okay?” Asked David who came towards me in concern followed by a shorthaired brunette wearing only an oversized T-shirt.

“Bloody hell…” I winced lifting up my head to look at my roommate. “I’m okay, just bumped my knee on this fucking table.” I told him as I gesture to the piece of furniture in question.

I looked behind David, and saw Mary Margaret with the same concerned look, which quickly changed to an embarrassed one when she realized her lack of clothing. My eyes went back to my friend as I raised one eyebrow.

“Someone got lucky last night.”

Mary Margaret’s face went red, and she instantly excused herself, grabbing her clothes that were lying on the floor, and went to barricade herself in David’s bedroom.

“Uh… yeah, well apparently you and Emma did, too.” David stated shyly.

When he mentioned Emma, I wondered if she had told her brother about our dalliance, and if I needed to get prepared for the big brother speech telling me to back the hell off.

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“Well, I’m guessing you got lucky last night since you’re coming home at this hour with the same clothes you had when you left yesterday, and Emma never came back home after her date.” Said David as I tried to seem unaffected with the news.

“Good for her.” I said dryly, seeing the questioning look on David’s face, I decided to change the subject, wanting to chase the image of Emma writhing under my touch.

“So you finally scored with Mary Margaret?” I asked him, my roommate looking at me with a huge grin.

“I did, after you and Emma decided to cancel movie night, I invited her over, and, well, one thing led to another.” I smiled at him and patted him on the back.

“I’m happy for you, mate.”

“Thanks.”

“So, I’ll let you get back to it, I’m in need of a hot shower.”

David went towards his room, joining the brunette as I went towards the bathroom.

I turned on the water, and disrobed myself as I waited for the stream to be the temperature I liked. When it was, I entered the tub, and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water falling on my skin, my thoughts drifting to a certain blond temptress.

-/-

“Get up, sleepy head.” I heard distantly, followed by a pillow thrown at my head. I grunted at the impact, and turned my head in the direction of the voice. I saw Ruby standing next to the bed, her hands on her hips with a frown on her face.

“Why are you here?” I asked her.

“What am _I_ doing here? You should ask yourself that—you’re in _my_ bed!” She told me as she nudged my shoulder so I could move a little so she could sit on the edge of the bed.

“What?” I sat on the bed, the action making my head hurt. _How much did I drink last night?_

“You don’t remember what happened last night, do you?” Ruby asked with her eyebrow raised.

“Well, there’s a part missing.” I told her as I massaged my temples. Ruby handed me a glass of water and I took it, gulping half of the glass down.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Um, leaving McCarold’s with Graham.”

“Okay, so let me fill you in on what happened: you came to join me at the Rabbit Hole, completely hammered, and you just kept drinking. After a while your date asked if he could drive you home, seeing the state you were in, but you refused, telling him that you wanted to dance. I told him it was better for him to go, and that I would take care of you. And here you are.” She recounted as I buried my face in my hands, embarrassed of the way I acted last night, and the way I treated Graham.

“What happened, Emma?” She asked concerned.

“Nothing.” I brushed her off.

“Oh, come on, do you really think I believe you? Something happened last night for you to start drinking that much. The last time you acted that way was when you bumped into Neal. Was it Neal?”

I sighed at her questions, and it made me mad that she knew me so well.

“Fine. Something did happen but it has nothing to do with Neal. Can we just drop the subject now?” I asked her, not wanting to remind myself of how I felt with Killian’s body pressed against mine, his lips hot on my neck, feeling how hard he was when I pushed my hips down.

“No, I want to now exactly what happened.” She stated as she seated herself comfortably next to me, crossing her arms in front of her chest. I let out an exhausted sigh, knowing that I couldn’t win this battle.

“I kissed Killian.” I whispered more to myself, not wanting to say it out loud which would make all of this more real. Ruby leaned in towards me trying to figure out what I just said.

“What?”

“I kissed Killian, okay?” I answered this time more loudly, which made Ruby’s eyes grow wide.

“OH, MY _GOD_! You need to tell me every little detail.” She asked a little bit too excited.

“Ugh, look it meant nothing. He was at McCarold’s during my date with Graham, and we got into an argument, and the next I know we started kissing. It’s no big deal.” I told her trying to make it seem unimportant.

“No big deal? You kissed another man during your date with Graham. And not just any random guy, but his best friend—YOUR _ROOMMATE_!” She exclaimed.

“I know! You don’t need to remind me of that, I already feel like the worst person ever. Can we just drop it now?” I pleaded.

“No, we can’t! Emma this is big, I mean, what happened with Killian affected you enough for you to want to get that drunk. We both know you never get that drunk for no reason. You do it when you want to forget.”

My shoulders slumped, exhausted from our discussion.

“Do you like him?”

“Of _course_ I do, Graham is great and nice and—“

“Not him, I meant Killian.” Interrupted Ruby.

I looked back at my friend, mouth agape not knowing what to answer.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’m not going to deny that he’s attractive and that the way he kissed me made me want more, but I just can’t let myself open up to him. There’s something about him that makes me uncomfortable. I know the type of guy he is, and it wouldn’t end well.” I finally admitted.

“Maybe you’re wrong. You can’t be sure of that until you give him a try. And maybe the reason you feel uncomfortable with him—because you’re scared that he may be able to make you happy.”

I lifted my gaze back to meet my friend’s and she took my hands in hers. “Not all men are like Neal, not all men are going to toy with your feelings and abandon you. You should give him a try.”

I looked back at our joined hands, and seeing that I wasn’t responding to her statement, she got up.

Ending our discussion there, Ruby left her room so I could get myself ready. I left her place thinking about everything she said, and she was right about something—not all men are like Neal. Some are kind and nice, and those are the ones I should let myself open up to.

I decided to make a detour before going back home, and walked towards the sheriff station. When I arrived, I knocked on the door softly before entering the office. Graham was perched on his desk, filling in some paperwork. He lifted his head when he heard me come in, and smiled at me.

“Hey, Emma. To what do I owe the honour?” He asked me as he got up, walking towards me. I stood there uncomfortably, ashamed of how I treated him the night before.

“I came to apologize.” I told as I looked at him with sorry look.

A tight smile appeared on his face as he looked down to his feet.

“I acted like a fool last night, and you didn’t deserve that.”

“Look, Emma, you don’t need to do this. It’s okay if you don’t want to go out with me. I won’t bother you anymore.” He said with a sad voice making my heartbreak.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Graham.” I told him as I took a few steps closer to him. “I like you, and I was just wondering if you might give me another chance? Maybe this time we can go eat in a restaurant?” I proposed, anxious to know his answer.

“I would love that.” He smiled, making me smile in turn.


	8. Chapter 8

I walked from the sheriff’s station back to my apartment, happy that Graham agreed to give me a second chance after acting like such a fool.

I then remembered the reason that I acted like such a fool was probably in the apartment waiting for some explanation since I left high and dry. I felt my stomach clench, anticipating our encounter and I wondered how I should approach the situation.

As I climbed the stairs leading up to my place, I decided to just deal with it and tell him that it was the alcohol that made me act the way I did, and that it meant absolutely nothing.

_Even though it did feel amazing._

I finished climbing the last couple of stairs before I reached my floor and saw my apartment door open, a brunette with a pixie haircut coming out of it. She stopped when she bumped into me, and I looked at her with a huge grin, knowing what she had been doing in my apartment.

“Oh, hi, Emma.” She greeted me, clearly uncomfortable, her cheeks turning red.

“Hi, Mary Margaret, so you had fun last night?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow.

“Um… yes. I don’t want to be rude, but I really need to go, I’m late for work.” She answered shyly as she started to pass by me.

“Sure, no problem. See you around.” I told her before I went to reach for the doorknob, entering my apartment.

I took off my shoes and walked over to David’s room and peeked in it to see if he was in there so I could tease him. When I saw that he wasn’t there I went to kitchen, knowing that’s where he would be.

When I entered the kitchen I saw my brother and Killian sitting at the table, coffee mug in hand as they were talking. They both turned around to look at me as I entered and I felt nervous when Killian’s eyes fell on me. My cheeks reddened, realising that the last time I saw him he was pressing my back into the bathroom wall as he kissed me senseless as I pressed myself down on him, feeling him.

I swallowed the excess of saliva that gathered in my mouth as I glanced at him quickly before locking my gaze on my brother.

“Hey, Emma, you’re finally home.” My brother greeted me as he turned his head towards me when I entered the kitchen.

“Yeah. So I bumped into Mary Margaret. I guess someone got lucky last night?” I teased him as I nudged his shoulder. I saw his face change color as a small smile crept on his face.

“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one.” He answered as I looked at him, eyebrows furrowed.

Seeing that I didn’t understand his implication he cocked his head towards Killian before getting up from his chair, telling us he was going to take a shower. Killian lifted his gaze from his mug to David who was leaving the kitchen, raising both his eyebrows up to his hairline, realising my brother was talking about him and then looking at me with what seemed to be a guilty expression.

“You hooked up with someone last night?” I asked without even realising, cursing myself for sounding like a jealous girlfriend.

“Indeed I did.” He answered me, locking his eyes on mine with a shit-eating grin.

“With that annoying blonde friend of yours?” I asked with a disgusted face.

“Perhaps, does that bother you?” He asked with one eyebrow raised, tilting his head to the side.

“Oh, please, I don’t care who you decide to fuck.” I spat back as he got up and walked towards me, invading my personal space and taking all the air surrounding me, making it hard for me to breathe.

“Oh right, is that why you decided to make out with me in a bathroom while you were on a date? Tell me something, love…” He started as he licked his lips slowly, taking one step further, distracting me as I watched the movement of his tongue, his voice bringing me back to our discussion.

“… were you thinking of me while Humbert was making you his back at his place?” He asked with venom his tone.

His comment hit me right in the stomach and I looked at him with my eyes wide and as I felt mad, clenching my jaw and my fists at my sides and deciding to just go to my room, not giving him the satisfaction of an answer. I left him standing in the kitchen as I entered my room, throwing my purse on my bed with as much force I could muster.

_How dare he?_

-/-

It had been a couple of days since I had the argument with Emma in the kitchen. I felt bad for being such a jerk to her, but seeing her come home early in the afternoon with the same clothes she wore the night before, knowing she had spent the night with my friend made my stomach twist.

I was jealous and acted on impulse when she asked me if I had spent the night with Tink. Her tone of voice when she asked made me think that she was jealous of Tink and I couldn’t help myself but hope that she was.

After our altercation, things went back the way they were before our truce. She was now cold and distant and did everything to not stay in the same room as me, especially alone. I wanted to apologise to her, but every time I tried she ignored me, acting as if she hadn’t heard me.

Today was a usual day at work; Regina was a pain in the ass like always. When Tink and I finished our close, I was ready to head back home and relax alone in the apartment, knowing Emma was working tonight and David was out with Mary Margaret.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” Asked my coworker as I locked the door to the store.

“Nothing in particular, I’m just heading back home to watch a movie maybe. Why do you ask?” I took the key out of the lock, grabbed the door handle and pulled to see if the door was locked.

“I’m famished and I was wondering if you wanted to come with and grab something to eat.”

“Sure, why not?” I answered her as I shrugged my shoulder. “Where do you want to go?”

“There’s this place some clients have been telling me to go to. Aapparently it’s the best place to go to eat a hamburger. Do you want to try it?” She asked with a chirp.

“Let’s go, then.”

We walked for a couple of blocks before we reached the restaurant Tink had talked about.

When I saw the name of the restaurant written in red neon lights I froze as I realised it was where Emma worked. I was debating internally if I should come up with an excuse and go back home or just man up and go in there and face the passive aggressive attitude of my roommate.

"What's wrong?" Asked Tink as she saw me stop in front of Granny's diner. My hand went to rub at the back of my neck as I laughed dryly.

 

"Nothing love, let's go inside." I replied as I placed my hand at the small of her back, leading her towards the small steps leading into the restaurant.

 

I opened the door, letting her go in first and followed her when she entered the room. We both stood in the entrance looking for a free place, and saw that all the tables were full and the only seats available were at the bar.

 

She asked me if I wanted to go somewhere else, but then I saw Emma walk into the room with two plates on one arm. She was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of black pants hugging her form, with the red apron I often saw laying around the house. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, yet even in her work uniform she looked beautiful.

 

Emma was busy with the table she was waiting on so she hadn’t noticed me. I looked back to Tink and told her we could stay. We walked towards the stools and sat down as we looked at the menu that an elderly woman gave us.

 

“Killian?” I lifted my head up and saw at the other side of the counter a brunette who looked familiar, quickly remembering where I saw her.

 

“Yes, you’re Emma’s friend Ruby, right?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, I am.” She responded with a big smile as her eyes landed on Tink before returning to me. “So, what brings you here?”

 

“We were hungry and we’ve been told that this is where the best hamburgers are made.”

 

“Well I don’t know who told you that, but they were right!” She said in a chirpy tone.

 

“Are you going to be the one waiting on us tonight?” I asked.

 

“No, my shift just ended.” She turned her head to the side and a mischievous smile spreading on her face. “You waitress is coming, I’ll leave you two to it then. See you around, Killian.” She said before she walked behind the counter as she crossed paths with Emma who was writing on her little notepad as she walked, mumbling ‘goodbye’ to her friend. She stopped when she arrived in front of us, greeting us as she still looked at her notepad.

 

“Good evening. What can I get you guys?” She asked before lifting her head up. When she did, her eyes grew wide in surprise before turning to annoyance. She glanced quickly at Tink before her eyes went back to me.

 

“What are you doing here, Killian?” She asked, clearly irritated by my presence.

 

“I came here to eat, am I not allowed?” I asked her, raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes as she exhaled, before returning her stare to us.

 

“Whatever. What do you want?” She asked, placing her hand with the pencil between her fingers, ready to write our order.

 

“I’ll take a beer and the burger with Jack Daniel’s sauce.” I ordered, giving her my menu. She wrote my order down, and then turned towards my friend.

 

“What about you?”

 

“I’ll have the same.” She responded as she gave her menu to Emma as well before she gave us a small, forced smile and left towards the computer screen and tapped on it, entering our order.

 

I watched her leave as I heard Tink clear her throat loudly, capturing my attention. When I turned my head towards her, she was looking at me with an amused smile.

 

“I thought the other night there was something between you two.” She teased.

 

“Oh, really?”

 

“Mmhm. You two are _clearly_ into each other.”

 

“You are definitely imagining things, love.” I told her as I shook my head.

 

“Oh, come on! You two look like kids, you bothering the girl you like and her acting bothered by you.” She explained.

 

“Except we aren’t kids. And even if I _did_ like her, she certainly doesn’t seem interested in me.”

 

“Don’t be so sure.” She looked up and smiled before opening her mouth again. “Here she comes, follow my lead.” She whispered into my ear as she turned her upper body towards me, leaning in as her hands started to brush my forearm seductively, her mouth still near my ear as she kept murmuring in my ear giving me instruction on what to do.

 

“Keep your head down. Don’t look at her, just flirt with me.”

 

I heard Emma approach, as she dropped the bottles of beer a little too loudly on the counter, followed by a small sound of disgust as she went back to check on her other tables.

 

Tink leaned her head back slightly and laughed at Emma’s reaction. She grabbed her beer and took a sip out of it. I looked at her, intrigued, and she smiled proudly at me.

 

“Yeah, she likes you. She wouldn’t have been bothered this much if she didn’t. You’re welcome.” She concluded as I grabbed my own drink, laughing at the game she was playing and raised my beer so we could toast.

 

“If you say so.”

 

-/-

 

I walked back to get the plates for table 5 and as I waited for the cook to give me my order, I couldn’t help but look back at the counter where Killian and his annoying blonde friend were flirting.

 

My eyes were glued to them and felt my blood boiling through my veins. I suddenly heard a loud “ding” and turned my head towards the sound. I looked back down on the counter and saw the plates that I came to grab in the first place.

 

I placed two plates in one arm and the third one in my other hand, and walked towards one of the booths. I deposited the plates to the right person and when I turned back around, Killian and Tink had their sides to me as they were facing each other, face inches from the other. I saw the petite blonde’s hand move to his thigh as she started to stroke it.

I froze for a moment seeing them like that, and cursed inwardly for letting this affect me this much. When his hand went to stroke her thigh, it was too much for me and I tore my gaze from them as I walked towards Granny.

 

“Hey, Granny, I really need to go to the bathroom.”

 

“Sure, make it quick.” She told me as she kept her eyes on her receipts.

 

I walked to the back of the diner and went into the restroom. I went to the sink and dropped my hands on it, as I tried to regain a little bit of my composure. I sighed, as I felt confused with what I was feeling—this jealousy I felt towards his _girlfriend_.

 

I opened the faucet and splashed my face with cold water. I closed off the water, and went to grab a piece of paper to dry my face. I unlocked the bathroom door, and went back into the diner.

 

When I came back, Killian was waiting for me at the register. I inhaled and prepared myself to deal with him.

 

“Where’s your friend?” I asked him as I approached him.

 

“She went to grab some air, it was getting kind of hot in here, if you know what I mean.” He said with a smirk.

 

I would normally roll my eyes to a comment like that, but I was now too tired from my shift, and tired of feeling whatever I was feeling right now, so I contented myself to just look at him with an impartial look.

 

“Whatever.” I answered dryly as I searched his bill on the computer screen. I saw him shift on his spot in the corner of my eye.

 

“Are you okay, Swan?” He asked with a concerned voice. I looked back at him coldly before opening my mouth.

 

“That’ll be $47.56.” I told him as I saw him lock his gaze on mine, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek.

 

“Fine.” He took out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a plastic card from it. I got out the small machine that would let him make his payment and we both stood there in silence as he pressed on the buttons.

 

When the transaction was approved he gave me back the machine, his fingers brushing mine as I felt this shiver run down my spine.

 

“I’ll see you back at the apartment.” He told me as he turned around so he could walk towards the door. Before I realized it, I opened my mouth asking him a question that was eating at me.

 

“Are you bringing her back to the apartment?” I asked, chastising my voice for coming out so insecure. He stopped mid-step and turned his head towards me, answering my question with one word.

 

“Perhaps.”

 

With that, he left the diner.

 

I stood there, looking at him as he left, asking myself what the hell was wrong with me. I reminded myself that hated him and that I couldn’t allow myself to feel this way towards him.

 

I looked at the time and wondered if it was too late to text Graham.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we’re approaching the end of this story! I planned out the rest of what I plan on writing and there will be 11 chapters total (so 2 more left) and possibly an epilogue.
> 
> I’m really excited for this chapter and really hope you like it. This chapter is only in Emma’s POV. Don’t worry Killian’s POV will be back in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks to my beta Nicki- oncertwice for all her help!
> 
> Read and enjoy!

I was getting ready for another of my dates with Graham. In the past two weeks we went out a couple of times, he took me out to dinner, went to the movies—we did the typical stuff you do on dates.

He was always the perfect gentleman during our dates, and we haven’t actually kissed yet, besides the kiss on the cheeks when we greeted each other and said our goodbyes. As I got to know him, I realised I really enjoyed his company, he was nice and understanding. I still didn’t know where I wanted this to go but the only thing I knew was that I liked having him around.

I suspected that the main reason that I had a hard time knowing what I felt for him was because of Killian. After our kiss I finally admitted to myself that I found him attractive and that there was undeniable sexual tension between us, but I didn’t know what to do with it.

So I did what I always do, deny the chemistry between us and run, which lead him to date that blond girl from his work, Tink. Seeing him with her at the diner the other night proved to me that I have made the right choice on going out with Graham.

Tonight, Graham invited me to come over to his place since he wanted to cook diner for me. I was kind of nervous, since going over to his place was kind of a big deal for me and I didn’t know what to expect.

I finished putting on my make-up in my room and then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The front door creaked and was followed by a loud bang.

“EMMA?” David yelled as I heard his footsteps approaching.

“In the bathroom.” I responded as I spat the water out of my mouth.

“Another date with Graham?” He asked as he leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.

“Mmhm.” I rinsed by toothbrush and dropped it in the cup where we kept the other toothbrush. I turned around and walked passed him as I walked towards the kitchen, my brother following me. I went to open the cupboard where the glasses where stored and took one out.

“So, how is that going?” He asked me as he went to open the fridge, taking a beer out.

“Fine, I guess.” I answered him, opening the faucet so I could pour myself a glass of water. We both went to sit at the table with our drinks.

“You guess? I mean, you’ve gone out with him, what, five times now? Shouldn’t you know by now if you like him or not?”

“It’s more complicated than that, okay?”

“What’s complicated? Do you like him or not?”

“What’s not to like? He’s handsome, sweet and caring.” I answered defensively.

“But…?” He asked as he encouraged me to spill my insecurities. I sighed when I realised that I couldn’t hide anything from my brother.

“I don’t feel like he really gets me. I mean he _does_ , but not the way I need him to.”

“Which is?”

“I don’t know, someone who can challenge me, someone who doesn’t treat me like fine china, someone who can really make me laugh, and make me feel free.” As I voiced out loud what I wanted, I couldn’t stop the image of my roommate from appearing in my head.

“Do you think it’s him?”

I shrugged my shoulders at his question, “Maybe.”

As I answered him, we heard the front door open again, and seconds later Killian entered the kitchen, looking handsome as always.

“Hey mate!” He greeted my brother when he saw him. His eyes shifted to me, and made a quick nod of his head.

“Emma.” 

I greeted him with a small smile as I felt turmoil inside me, feeling suddenly nervous by his mere presence. I looked past him and saw the time on the oven.

“Shit, I need to go.” I yelped as I realised what time it was. I got up and went to my bedroom to grab my purse.

When I got out of my room, Killian was sitting in my chair with a beer in front of him, and I caught him looking at me before his eyes went back to his drink.

“Have another date with Humbert?” He asked as he took the bottle in his hands so he could take a sip of it. His eyes levelling with mine, his stare burning through me.

“Yes.” I answered as I tucked one of the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. He hummed as he dropped the bottle back on the table.

“Okay, so I’ll be going. Don’t wait up.” I told them, walking out of the kitchen as I heard David saying bye. I walked towards the door, wanting to flee the tension that had suddenly appeared with our roommate’s presence.

When I arrived outside, I looked at my phone to see the time and saw how late I was, I decided to hail a cab. Ten minutes later, I arrived in front of Graham’s building. I paid the driver and got out of the cab, making sure I had everything with me. I walked towards the entrance door, and looked at the white buttons on the brick wall next to the door.

I took out the piece of paper Graham gave me yesterday with his address on it so I could see which number I needed to press. I raised my hand towards the buttons and pressed on the number 12, which was followed by a loud buzz.

I waited a couple of seconds before hearing Graham’s voice telling me to come up. I heard a click coming from the door and pulled it open. I took the elevator and went up to the fourth floor and searched for the correct numbers on the doors.

When I found it, I stood in front of the door, inhaling deeply trying to get rid of my nerves. My hand formed a fist, and raised it upwards to knock on the door. Graham opened the door with a big smile as he opened the door further so I could enter, and closed it behind me. He leaned in for the usual kiss on the cheek.

“I’m glad you’re here. I was kind of worried you got lost on your way over.” He told me as he shifted nervously on his spot.

“I’m sorry, I just got sidetracked at the apartment.” I turned my head around and looked at his apartment

It was one big room, kitchen, dining room and living room altogether. On the left there was the kitchen counter with a small kitchen island with two stools, on my right there was a table big enough for four. In the middle of the room there was the living room with all the essentials: a couch, a coffee table and a television with some other little furniture around.

“Wow, your place is nice.” I told him as I turned my head around to look at him, seeing his cheeks turn slightly red under his stubble.

“Thanks, um… I hope you’re hungry.” He said shyly.

“Actually, I’m starving.” I answered him with a smile.

Graham insisted on doing everything and I ended up leaning on the kitchen island drinking wine as he made the final preparations to the supper. I was pretty overwhelmed by the amount of trouble he went through. I was expecting something simple, like pasta, but apparently he went all out by making roast beef with steamed vegetables and rice.

When he finished, I tried helping him bring the food to the table but refused, telling me I was his guest, so I just sat at the table, not knowing what do. When the food was on our plates, he opened a bottle of red wine, and poured some in my glass and his.

The supper went by smoothly and we had fun talking like we always did. I insisted on helping him clear the table and do the dishes, which, as usual, he refused, but I went to help him anyway, not wanting to sit and wait for him to do everything. We finally came to an agreement and he let me help him clear the table.

When it was done, we grabbed what was left of the wine and poured it in our glasses and went to sit on the couch. We sat close to each other and without knowing how it happened, his lips were on mine kissing me softly.

He leaned back a little bit so he could look at me, silently asking me if I wanted him to continue. My hands went to the back of his neck so I could close the small gap that was between us. The kiss was sweet and slow as we both explored each other’s mouths. As I closed my eyes and tried to succumb to the kiss, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that there was something missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I suddenly remembered how it was when Killian had kissed me at the bar—passionate and urgent. Just the thought of it made a rush of lust course through me and I tilted my head so I could deepen the kiss, taking him by surprise.

I leaned back on the couch, pulling him on me as the kiss grew more passionate. One of my hands went to his hair, fingers running through his brown curls as the other roamed his firm back. He was holding himself up on his left forearm, his right hand on my waist, hesitating on exploring further.

Wanting him to do more, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and rolled my hips until I felt him through his pants as I tried to chase down the same sensations I felt when it was with Killian, but it wasn’t the same.

He let out a strangled moan when he felt my core rub his, and broke the kiss as he leaned back until he was sitting on the couch. His hair was tousled because of my fingers, and looked at me with hooded eyes, mouth open as he tried to regulate his breath. I sat up in my seat and tried to understand what just happened.

“Emma, sorry, I don’t think it’d be a good idea if we did that now.” He told me with an apologetic stare.

“Oh…okay.” I answered him in shock as I blinked my eyes. Seeing the look on my face, he moved towards me and grabbed my hands in his.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Emma. It’s just that I really like you and I don’t want to ruin this by going too fast.” He raised my eyes to his, and the way he looked at me was so sweet and caring that I couldn’t bring myself to blame him.

“It’s fine, Graham, don’t worry about it. Look, I think it’s better if I just go home for tonight.” I reassured him with a smile.

Of course, being the sweetheart he was, he walked me back home to make sure I’d get home safely. When I finally got home, the lights were off and the only light visible was the one of the street lamps seeping through the kitchen window at the end of the hallway.

I walked the path to my room, trying not to make much noise knowing that the guys must be sleeping. When I arrived in the living room, I saw some light coming out from under Killian’s door. I felt my stomach flutter knowing that he was on the other side of the wall doing God knows what, and all I could think about was all of him, the way he made me feel that day and how I confused I felt when Graham didn’t.

I continued the walk to my room and dropped myself on the bed as my body bounced a couple of times before going still. I stared at the ceiling as I felt guilt invade me when I realised that when Graham was kissing me I wished it were Killian. I let out a loud grunt before grabbing a pillow and burying my face in it.

-/-

The next day I had the apartment to myself since both Killian and David were working, and there was a big chance that my brother wouldn’t come back home and would go at Mary Margaret’s apartment. As for Killian, I didn’t know if even planned on coming back here after his job.

Either way, I had the place all to myself for most of the day. I spent most of the day cleaning up, and late in the afternoon I suddenly had the urge to make some chocolate chip cookies. I went through my pantry to get the ingredients I’d need and dropped them on the kitchen table. I went to preheat the oven so it would be at the right temperature when I finished preparing the dough.

I started mixing up the dry ingredients before I added the rest. I took out a roll of parchment paper so I could place it on the baking sheet. With my hands I picked up some of the dough and made a small ball with it and dropped it on the baking sheet.

When the oven beeped, I took the cookies and put them in. As they baked, I cleaned up all of the dishes I used while preparing it. When the time was up, I went to check if they were done. I took them out, and left it on the top of the oven so it would cool down.

During that time, I went to my bedroom and decided to put on my sweatpants and prepare myself to watch a chick flick since I was going to be alone at home without the boys.

I came back into the kitchen and took the chocolate powder from the cupboard. Then I got a mug and poured milk into it. I warmed the milk and then stirred the liquid with the powder until it was well mixed. I went to get to can of whipped cream from the fridge and poured some on my hot chocolate. When I put it away, I took the cinnamon and put a generous amount on top. I grabbed my mug and a plate with two warm cookies on it and went to get myself settled on the couch.

I set my mug and my plate down on the coffee table and tucked my feet under me as I took the remote to turn on the television. I went on Netflix and started to browse the romantic comedies section and decided to watch the movie _27 Dresses_.

Just when I pressed play and took a sip of my hot cocoa I heard a pair of keys fumbling with the door and seconds later Killian walked through it. He walked slowly towards the living room, looking completely exhausted.

“Hey.” He mumbled as he walked by front of me before he tumbled on the couch next to me.

“Hey.” I answered him as I glanced at him next to me; he was rubbing his eyes with one hand as he sighed.  “Long day?”

“You have no idea. I’m just glad to be back here, doing nothing.” He answered as he locked his eyes with mine for a brief moment before turning his head towards the TV, where the opening credits just started to appear.

“So, what are we watching?” he asked as he got himself comfortable on the couch.

“ _27 Dresses_.” I told him with a small smile, taking a bite of one my cookies, waiting for his reaction.

“What? No! Let’s watch _Scarface_ instead.” He said with a disgusted face as he turned his head towards me with an outraged look, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his overreaction.

“ _Scarface_ , really? You want to watch a movie about a drug lord who uses his bazooka? I say nope!”

“Oh, come on! Have some pity, I had a hard long day at work and I just want to relax at home, watching a good movie.” He pouted in an exaggerated, pleading voice. I giggled and looked at him with a teasing smirk.

“If we watch my movie, you can have some of the cookies I baked today.” I offered, waiting for his answer. When he slumped on the couch and sighed loudly, I knew I had won.

“Fine, you win this time, Swan. Next time I chose the movie.” He said, getting up as he went towards the kitchen. He came back with a glass of milk and some cookies and reclaimed his seat on the couch.

My eyes were stuck on him and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Killian must have sensed it, since he turned his head to look at me with a mouthful of cookie.

“What?” He asked with concerned look.

“Nothing, you’re cute. You look like a 10-year-old boy with your glass of milk and your cookies.”

He gulped the food he had in his mouth and looked back at me with smirk. “I can assure you, I’m anything but a boy.”

At his answer, I rolled my eyes and looked back at the screen. “Watch the movie, Jones.” I told him, trying to stifle a smile since I knew his eyes were still on mine. He chuckled and turned his head towards the screen.

Halfway through the movie, Killian interrupted the movie as he suddenly got up. I glanced at him, intrigued with what he was doing.

“I’m hungry, I’m going to make some grilled cheese, do you want one?”

“Sure, why not? Want some help?” I asked him as I got up from the couch.

“It’s only a grilled cheese, love, but I wouldn’t mind the company.” I slapped him on the chest before following him into the kitchen.

As he spread the butter on the bread, I took two beers out of the fridge and sat down on a chair as I watched him do his thing. I couldn’t help but feel content and carefree in this moment. This was what I liked about Killian, when he wasn’t trying to flirt or just being an ass he was such pleasant company. I felt like I could be myself with him, that he wouldn’t judge me or walk away from me. It wasn’t like this with Graham, and it should be. With him I always tried to be on my best behaviour, afraid that if I revealed the real me, he would leave.

I kept staring at Killian as I let my mind wander about him and how he made me feel, something that I couldn’t deny anymore, emotions that I couldn’t run from anymore. His back was to me, and he turned his head back to look at me with an eyebrow raised.

“You’re awfully quiet there, Swan. Penny for your thoughts?”

“I was just thinking that it has been a long time since we had fun like this.” I answered him with small smile. He nodded as he turned his attention back to the bread in the pan.

“Indeed it has. It’s nice isn’t it?”

“It really is.” I said in a low voice.

We both stared at each other with a sheepish smile, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. When Killian finished doing the grilled cheese he put them on a plate, we both grabbed our beer and went back to the living room to watch the rest of the movie.

When the movie finished, Killian begged that we start watching _Scarface_ , and I couldn’t say no to the puppy face he was making.

We started to watch his movie and I slowly felt my eyelids go heavy and didn’t even realise that I felt asleep on Killian’s shoulder, until I woke up the next morning tucked under his arm, my head rising and falling in tune to the rhythm of his breathing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we almost reached the end, the next chapter will be the last and there will be an epilogue after. In this chapter there’s Emma and Killian POV, starting with his.
> 
> I really hope you like this chapter and thanks to those who reviewed, it’s nice to know that you are still enjoying this story.
> 
> Thanks as always to my lovely beta Nicki- oncertwice
> 
> Read and enjoy!

I fell asleep on the couch and the last thing I remembered was Emma falling asleep on me as we were watching _Scarface_.

She looked so peaceful when she leaned on me and shut her eyes that I couldn’t bring myself to wake her up and decided to stay on the couch until sleep took over me.

I woke up on the couch without her by my side, which shouldn’t have surprised me.  I got up and walked towards the bathroom but before I could reach the facilities, Emma entered the living room and couldn’t help myself but stop and look at her. She was in her work uniform and looked as if she was ready to leave.

“Hey!” She greeted me with a smile as she walked towards me.

“Hi.” I responded as we both stood on our spots, not knowing what to say to each other.

“I’m sorry for falling asleep on you, I hope you aren’t too sore.” She apologized.

“A little, but nothing I can’t handle.” I told her with a smirk and a wink, which made her roll her eyes, a small smile on her face.

“Well, in that case, I’ll be going. See you tonight?” She asked as if she was hoping she would.

“Yes, see you tonight.”

She smiled at me and walked towards the door.

I watched her leave, and then went in the bathroom to clean myself up quickly before heading to the kitchen. I started to make myself some breakfast and made some coffee. A couple of minutes later, David walked into the kitchen as he greeted me good morning, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

“So, you fell asleep with Emma on the couch.” He said as I joined him at the table. I worried slightly on how he was going to react.

“Emma told you?”

“No, I actually came back early this morning and saw you two still on the couch sleeping. So, what’s going on with you two?”

I shifted on my seat, not knowing what to tell him. What _was_ going on with us? What the hell did I know? I mean, one day we get along and the next we are at each other’s throats. I knew what my feelings for her were despite our differences, but I didn’t know what hers were.

“To be honest, I don’t know.” I answered him as I scratched the back of my ear. He looked back at me, humming as he pondered on my answer.

“Do you like her?”

I looked up at David, surprised by his question. “I do, quite a lot.”

“I know it’s hard to get through to her and she can be difficult when she wants to, but don’t give up on her. She’ll come around.” He told me with a smile.

“You’re not opposed to the fact that I want to be with her?” I asked him, eyebrows furrowed.

“No, actually I think you could be good for her, especially since you don’t take her shit.” David got up patted me on the back before heading towards the sink to deposit his glass and left the kitchen.

I sat in my chair, thinking about what he’d just said. Maybe she had started to warm up to me. I had never seen her as carefree and relaxed as she was last night. I finished my breakfast and my coffee, cleaned my dirty dishes and went to get myself ready for work a little earlier than usual.

 

I made a detour before heading to work, deciding that I wanted to see Emma first and see if she was on board to have another movie night tonight. As I walked towards her work, I felt more and more nervous as I tried to think about how I would ask her that.

I climbed the four steps that led to Granny’s and opened the door seeing how packed the place was. It was the lunch rush and I saw a couple of waitresses walking around in a fast pace so they could attend to their tables. I scanned the room for Emma, and was shocked when I saw Graham and Emma near the hallway that led to the bathroom talking closely. It looked like they were having a serious talk. She stroked his arm with her delicate hand and pulled him in for a chaste kiss on his lips.

The sight of them together made me nauseous but I felt glued on my spot not able to turn around. When their lips separated, they talked a bit more. I decided that I have seen enough, and turned around and left as fast I could and headed to work.

-/-

It was finally 5 p.m. and I felt glad that this day was over. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders today. Graham decided to drop by the dinner during the lunch rush, at the worst time possible, but he was lucky that he caught me in the last fifteen minutes of my break.

He started asking me if I wanted to go out tonight and have a drink. I was tempted to say yes, but I already anticipated how the night would go, and I couldn’t help myself but think about Killian and how a simple night with him was the best night I’d had in weeks. I’d been realising more and more how much Killian meant to me, and came to terms with the fact that I had feelings for him. I knew now that I couldn’t keep stringing Graham along in this, giving him false hope.

I decided to take him aside and end things with him and be as honest as I could. I told him that I really liked him but maybe not in the way that he wished I did. I also admitted that there was this other person in my life that I recently realized I had feelings for. Graham took the news pretty well considering the fact that I was dumping him. We kissed goodbye and I reassured him that he was an amazing guy, and he truly his, but just not for me.

Leaving work, I decided to stop by at Killian’s music shop and ask him if he wanted to have another movie night. I walked over there pretty excited and also anxious over how this was going to go. I still didn’t know how he felt towards me, but I was willing to let him in, and see how things might go.

When I arrived at his shop, I opened the glass door and searched the store for him. I walked along each aisle filled with CD’s of every genre, hoping to see him. A smile came across my face when I saw him rearranging the CD’s in the Alternative music section. His back was to me, and my eyes wandered over his gorgeous form. I shook my head and took a deep breath as I walked over him. Before I could reach him, his friend Tink came to him and stopped at his side, her hand rubbing his back.

I froze as I saw them standing next to each other and instantly cursed myself for being so stupid. Turning on my heels so I could get the hell out of here, I bumped into a rack, which caused quite some noise. I stopped to make sure that I hadn’t dropped anything. When I saw that everything was okay, I tried to walk away but was stopped by his lilted voice.

“Emma?” I muttered a low ‘ _fuck’_ and turned around so I could face him.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, clearly confused by presence.

“Um, I wanted to know if you were coming back to the apartment tonight, but clearly you aren’t.” I told him as I mumbled the last part. He looked at me with eyebrows furrowed as his mouth opened then closed, trying to find what he was going to say next as he shook his head slightly. My eyes shifted to the petite blond that stood at his side.

“Everything okay, sweetie?” She asked him as she caressed his arm, her eyes on me.

“Yeah, _sweetie_ is fine.” I vociferated before I left them where they stood and walked through the door, beating myself up for thinking this was a good idea.

-/-

I was still confused with what happened with Emma earlier, trying to figure out why she came to my work. Just when I finished locking the door of the shop, my phone vibrated in the back the pocket of my jeans. I grabbed it and saw that Graham just texted me, asking me if I wanted to grab a beer.

I closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose with my index finger and thumb, trying to decide if I should go. On one hand, I didn’t really want to have a drink with the guy who was sleeping with the girl I love. But, on the other hand, he was still my mate and I couldn’t blame him for falling for her.

I pondered on that for a couple more seconds before I decided that maybe I should go have a drink with him, especially since I haven’t had some quality time with him since before he started to date my blonde roommate.

He answered me quickly after I sent him my response and asked me to join him at our usual pub. It was a fifteen minutes walk from where I was, and when I arrived Graham was already sitting at the bar with a pint in his hands. I joined him and sat on the stool next to his.

“Hey, mate, how’s it going?” I asked him, as he took a sip of his drink.

“Been better.” He simply answered as he dropped his glass on the coaster.

“What’s the matter?” I asked him as I made a sign to the bartender so I could order myself a cold stout.

“Emma dumped me.” He said as he stared at his beer, his fingers tracing the edge of the glass. I stopped any movement I was doing, my eyes going wide as I heard this news. I was brought back to reality when the bartender asked me what I wanted and I quickly ordered my drink and focused back on my friend.

“Did she tell you why?” I asked him as I cursed myself for sounding so eager to hear the reason.

“There’s someone else.” He took a huge gulp of his drink.

“Did she tell you who it was?” I was on the edge of my seat wondering if she was talking about me, actually _hoping_ that is was me.

“No, she only told me that she realised that she had feelings for this other person and that she didn’t want to string me along.”

I felt bad seeing my friend in this state, even if I was glad that she wasn’t seeing him anymore, he was still my friend and I still wished him the best.

“I’m so stupid, I should’ve seen it. I mean, she was always distant, and kept her guard up.” Graham sighed as the bartender arrived with my beer. I grabbed it and took a sip from it before turning back to my friend.

“What do you mean? How could she act like that if you slept with her?”

“What? We didn’t sleep together. Not everyone is like you, mate.” He answered me with a confused look. “What gave you that idea?”

“Well she didn’t come back to the apartment the morning after your first date, so I just presumed you guys did.”

He chuckled when he heard my reasoning. “Actually, she was pretty drunk that night and she called her friend Ruby and asked her if she could crash at her place.”

I felt a huge wave of relief hearing all of this. Maybe I still had a chance with her, hoping I hadn’t ruined everything when I tried to make her jealous with Tink. I stayed for another couple of pints with Graham, trying to cheer him up, before I went back to the apartment, hoping she was still awake.

-/-

When I arrived at home I was still so mad about what I’d seen earlier. I was mostly mad at myself for thinking he was actually going to be free tonight. I had completely forgotten that he was seeing that girl and felt stupid for how I acted.

So when I got into my room, I decide to put my pyjamas on and have a movie night by myself. I grabbed myself a beer from the fridge and turned on the TV as I browsed for a movie.

When I finished watching _Jaws_ , I heard the door open and I turned my head towards it to see who it was. Killian walked in and took off his converse before coming into the living room as he stood next to me. Seeing him just reminded me how much of a fool I am, and without even noticing it, my defense mechanism came back.

“Can I talk to you?” He asked in a soft voice.

I turned off the TV and got up from my seat on the couch and grabbed my empty bottle of beer and went towards the kitchen, leaving him in the leaving room. I heard his footsteps following me, and he stood in the middle kitchen, waiting for me to answer, which I choose to ignore.

“Emma, please, don’t act like this.” His voice was annoyed with a hint of a plea.

“Like what?” I asked dryly as I suddenly turned around to face him. He clenched his jaw and exhaled loudly before answering.

“Being passive-aggressive and avoiding me.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed at his comment.

“Fuck, why do you always have to be so bloody stubborn?”

“Well I’m sorry if I’m not one of those girls who just swoons at your every move and words. If that’s what you want, you should go back to your girlfriend.” I shot back.

“My girlfriend?”

“Oh come on, don’t act like a fool. That blonde you work with.” I stared at him as I waited for him to react.

“She isn’t my girlfriend. She’s just a friend.” He stated, as he held my gaze.

“Really? That’s how you act with your friends, flirting with them at the diner?” I asked him, referring to the time he came to my work and flirted with her throughout their meal. He looked down briefly before lifting his eyes back up to mine.

“We weren’t flirting.” He shot back.

“Yeah, right.”

“She was just trying to make you jealous.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Because I’m an idiot who doesn’t know how tell this infuriating, stubborn, beautiful lass that I love her!” He confessed as he raised his voice, overwhelmed by his own feelings. I felt my heart skip at his words, and searched his face for any trace of a lie.

“What?” I breathed out, not knowing I had been holding my breath.

“I love you, Emma.” He said, his voice exhausted from whatever game we had been playing at. Killian stood there, waiting for me to react to his confession, and I couldn’t find the words to tell him that I loved him, too.

I closed the space that was between us and grabbed his shirt, crashing my lips into his.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello you lovely people! So here is the last chapter of this story. I would like to thank all of you who read this story all through the 10 chapters, it means a lot.
> 
> I am kind of sad that this story is coming to an end, and I hope you will like this last chapter, even though it is shorter than all the others, but don’t worry there is still the epilogue that will be posted soon.
> 
> Once again, thank you all and enjoy this last part!
> 
> *thanks to Nicki- oncertwice for always being amazing and editing my stories!

It didn’t take long for Killian to respond to my kiss, one hand cradling my head, the other resting on my hips. We moved our lips in perfect sync as if we were always meant to do just that. I let go of the grip I had on his shirt and moved my hands to the back of neck, tangling my fingers together.

Killian broke the kiss for a moment and leaned his head back, his blue eyes searching mine.

“Emma, are you sure about this?” He asked as he panted.

“Yes I am. I want _this_ , I want _you_.” I answered him sincerely; I wanted this more than anything now that I had finally admitted the feelings I had for him.

His lips curled upwards and a sparkle reached his eyes as I told how much I wanted this. He quickly closed the space between our lips, kissing me softly before it quickly became urgent.

I walked backwards dragging him with me until I hit my door, my hand fumbling with the handle as I tried to open it. When I succeeded, we both stumbled into my room before I pressed his back into the now-closed door.

The kiss grew more and more desperate, Killian groaning on my lips when I pinned him on the door. My hands were back on his shirt as I unbuttoned the plaid fabric, revealing his bare torso covered with chest hair.

Pushing his shirt off of his shoulders, I did something I had been wanting to do ever since I saw him half-naked in the bathroom the first time I met him—I ran my fingers over his chest, feeling his muscles, my lips on his neck biting slightly on the flesh. My hands kept traveling down his torso until I reached the buckle of his belt and tugged on it as I stepped backwards until the back of my knees hit the edge of my bed.

Killian hands went to take my tank top off as we both tried to disrobe each other desperately, the sexual tension that had been building between us in the past few months threatening to burst if we didn’t do something about it quickly.

We both fell on my bed awkwardly as he successfully took off my top, his eyes going dark with lust when he realised that I wasn’t wearing a bra underneath. His hands slid up from my waist until he reached my breasts, my back arching to his touch.

My hands went to his pants, trying to get them undone as he leaned in, his mouth latching to one of my nipples. A whimper escaped my lips when his mouth left my bosom. I finally managed to get free him from the confines of his pants, as he now stood before me in his boxer briefs, the bulge underneath making my mouth water.

His hands were now on the waistband of my pyjama bottoms, tugging them down with my underwear in one swift movement, leaving me completely bare to him. I felt myself blush when his eyes started roaming my naked body. Killian settled himself between my parted legs, his hands brushing my center.

“God Emma, you’re so beautiful.” Killian spoke for the first time since we started making out, as we were too entranced by kissing each other. His fingers were stroking my inner thigh while his other hand was on me, fingers parting my folds.

“And already so wet for me.” He leaned his face between my legs, and I stopped him as I dropped my hands to his shoulders keeping him there. He lifted his head up, looking confused.

“I need you in me now. We’ll get plenty of time for that later.” I told him as I leaned back further in my bed, until I reached my nightstand. I opened the top drawer and took out a square plastic wrap, and tore it open as I waited for him to join me.

He smirked at me as he mumbled ‘bloody minx’ and he took off the last piece of clothing, revealing all of him to me. My walls clenched in anticipation as I looked at his proud erection.

I parted my legs so he could settle himself between them and he took the plastic wrap from my hands and put the condom at the tip of his cock and rolled it down stroking himself afterwards. He lined himself up and as he bent down to kiss me passionately he pushed further into me. I felt him stretching me, the sensation making me gasp.

When he was fully in me, he pulled out only to push back in, setting a fast pace for us. He was holding himself on one arm as the other pulled my leg up higher, making him go deeper. I grasped the sheets of my bed, needing something to hold on to as I moaned loudly at the change in angle, his teeth marking my shoulder.

“Fuck, you feel so good. I always knew you would feel this good.” He muttered into my neck as he trailed kisses from my neck up to my jaw until he reached my lips. His words went straight to my core as I trailed my fingers to where we were joined and rubbed fast circles on my clit, seeking my release.

Killian kept thrusting at a desperate pace until I finally reached my peak and tumbled down the edge as I kept crying out from pleasure. The movements of his hips were now erratic as he was also chasing his release. His movements stilled as he groaned into my ear, succumbing to his orgasm.

He dropped himself next to me, tucking me under his arm as we both tried to regain our ability to breathe properly. My head was following the movement of his chest as his hand was caressing my back lazily. I felt his head shift above me, and I raised my head to look at him. He was looking at me with one of his eyebrow raised and a lazy smirk.

“Again?” Was all he said, before I smiled back at him and straddled his hips.

-/-

I woke the next morning in a bed that wasn’t mine and felt a naked, warm body pressed up against mine. I nuzzled my face into the golden locks that were spread out across the pillow and when I reached her neck, I laid soft kiss on her pale skin. My hand traveled from her waist to her stomach as I hugged her. I felt her shift under the covers, her movements making the sheets rustle. She turned her head back as she hummed in contentment with a lazy smile.

“Good morning, love.” I greeted her as I continued to kiss her neck and her shoulders.

“Good morning indeed.” Her voice was thick with sleep as she turned around to face me, her hands going at the back of my neck as she kissed me innocently on my lips. Tilting my head to the side I deepened the kiss, pushing her back into the mattress again. We laid there together, unable to stop touching and kissing each other, even after we had spent the night taking each other repeatedly.

Emma broke the kiss, her green eyes pouring all the affection I knew she wasn’t ready to say out loud yet, but the emotion was still there, written all over her eyes, and that was enough for me, knowing that she wanted me, hoping that she wouldn’t shut me out.

“I could spend all day in bed with you.” She confessed in a soft voice, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of my head.

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

Her hand went to the side of my head as she caressed my cheek. I rolled my hips on her center, which made her eyes flutter as she gasped at the sensation. She then giggled when my hand started to move down. I looked at her confused which earned me another laugh.

“As much as I would love to start the morning with another round, I really need to eat something first.” She told me with a smile.

“Mmhm, too right, lass. Let’s gather some strength before we enjoy each other again.” I kissed her on the lips one more time, and got up searching for my clothes. When I turned around to look at her, she was finishing getting herself dressed in her pyjamas, trying to tame her hair.

We got out of her room, and she told me that she was going to make some pancakes, which I thought was a marvellous idea. I went back to my room quickly to trade my jeans for my sweatpants and went back to join her in the kitchen, where Emma was preparing the batter.

I went to stand behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist as I kissed her shoulders and neck. Her head fell back on me, with a smile on her face. I still couldn’t believe that this was happening, after everything we went through I couldn’t believe that this wonderful, beautiful stubborn woman was in my arms. Especially after everything we both put ourselves through, the fights, the misunderstandings and jealousy.

We ate our breakfast at the table, our chairs almost touching, as we both needed the proximity, one hand on her knee, and one of her hands on mine. After cleaning up the dishes I told her I needed to take a shower and that I would then join her in her room, which she agreed with a pout.

I spent not even two minutes under the stream, before she joined me, making the rest of my shower much more enjoyable. When we finally got out of the bathroom, we stumbled into the living room, unaware of David and Mary Margaret’s presence.

I felt Emma’s body stiff at their presence, as I shifted uncomfortably unaware of what David’s reaction was going to be now that I was dating his little sister. He got up from his spot on the couch and walked towards us with a stern expression. He stopped right in front of us, as Emma opened her mouth wanting to explain to her brother what this was. Before she could say anything, he started laughing and patted me on the back.

He told us that it was about time that we both got over the tension that was between us. We laughed uncomfortably with him before retreating back to her room. Later that evening, David and Mary Margaret invited us to join them in the living room, where there was a box of pizza that had just been delivered. We sat down with them on the couch and ate as we watched _Bad Boys_.

Near the end of the movie, David and his girlfriend retreated back to his room, and Emma and I decided to take all the space on the couch and we both laid on it, as I spooned her.

At this moment, I realized that I hadn’t felt this content and happy in a long time, and it was all due to this amazing woman in my arms. I kissed her head as I saw the steady and deep breathing that arose from her chest, knowing that she had fallen asleep.

I hugged her and closed my eyes, wishing it would stay like this forever.


End file.
